Schools on 4 Greek Islands Will Stay Shut Next Week as Earthquakes Continue

 A cat walks in the village of Oia, as the increased seismic activity continues on the island of Santorini, Greece, February 8, 2025. (Reuters)
A cat walks in the village of Oia, as the increased seismic activity continues on the island of Santorini, Greece, February 8, 2025. (Reuters)
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Schools on 4 Greek Islands Will Stay Shut Next Week as Earthquakes Continue

 A cat walks in the village of Oia, as the increased seismic activity continues on the island of Santorini, Greece, February 8, 2025. (Reuters)
A cat walks in the village of Oia, as the increased seismic activity continues on the island of Santorini, Greece, February 8, 2025. (Reuters)

Schools on four Greek islands will remain closed through next week as earthquakes continue to rattle the region, authorities said Saturday.

More than 800 tremors of magnitude 3 and over have been recorded on the tourist islands of Santorini, Amorgos, Anafi and Ios since Feb. 1, triggering an exodus of most of Santorini's 16,000 residents as well as visitors.

Even though the earthquake activity has somewhat abated, 11 tremors of at least magnitude 4 hit on Saturday, according to the Athens Institute of Geodynamics. The strongest was 4.9 at 11 a.m. There were no reports of major damage or casualties since the quakes started.

Experts say they cannot exclude stronger quakes.

Authorities in Athens said that schools in the four islands will remain closed until Feb. 14.

Greece's strongest earthquake of the 20th century, a magnitude 7.7., struck near Amorgos in July 1956, killing 53.

Experts said the latest tremors have nothing to do with Santorini's volcano, which around 1600 B.C. produced one of the most violent eruptions in human history. A second volcano nearby erupted about 375 years ago.



NCVC Launches One Million Seedling Planting Project in Mahayel Aseer

Photo by SPA
Photo by SPA
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NCVC Launches One Million Seedling Planting Project in Mahayel Aseer

Photo by SPA
Photo by SPA

The National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification (NCVC) branch in Aseer Region launched an environmental project to plant one million seedlings in almadra forest in Mahayel Aseer Governorate, located 80 km northwest of Abha.

This comes in support of the Saudi Green Initiative, according to SPA.
The project aims to promote community engagement by involving local volunteer teams in planting efforts.

The main goal targets reducing carbon emissions, restoring plant biodiversity, combating climate change, and supporting ecotourism activities in the region.