Greece on high alert as quakes shake Santorini island

ATHENS:

Greece's tourist island of Santorini on Sunday braced for the prospect of more tremors after more than 200 small earthquakes shook the site of one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history, prompting authorities to order school closures.

Some 200 minor earthquakes were recorded in the sea and surrounding islands in just 48 hours, with the strongest, of magnitude 4.6, striking the waters between Santorini and Amorgos on Sunday afternoon.

The spate prompted Greece's civil protection late on Saturday to order schools closed down into Monday, while tents sprang up to house rescue teams sent to the island in response.

Authorities and experts said the tremors were triggered by tectonic rather than volcanic activity -- dampening fears of a destructive eruption.

But with the surrounding seas home to several significant fault lines in the Earth's crust, the possibility of a stronger earthquake to come could not be ruled out, said Kostas Papazachos, Professor of Geophysics at Thessaloniki Aristotle University. AFP