While thousands of people flee for earthquakes, some people enjoy a view of Santorini

Santorini, known for its whitewashed buildings with blue roofs, is a world -famous attraction that was allowed to welcome no fewer than 3.4 million tourists in 2023. Although it was currently low season, there were about 1,000 to 2,000 tourists on the island until a few days ago, which also has 16,000 permanent residents.

Since Friday, however, Santorini and the neighboring islands have been hit by hundreds of earthquakes – one every few minutes – and thousands of inhabitants, seasonal workers and tourists have fled the island. All ferries and flights that Santorini leave are packed.

Yet there are also people who choose to stay. For example, photos of Fira, the capital of Santorini, showing that the narrow, whitewashed streets along the cliffs are almost completely abandoned. Something even outside season is a rare sight. The only people who can still be seen are tourists, mostly from Asian countries.

One of them is the Chinese Joseph Liu. He stated to the AP press agency that he wanted to visit Santorini for years after he had seen the island in a documentary. He went with family and travel companies to a balcony that is normally used for chic wedding receptions. “This place is great, really beautiful. Exactly as I saw in the program: the mystery, the landscape, “he said. “The (group) leader told us about the earthquakes before we came, so it was no surprise.”

Despite the many earthquakes, some of which nevertheless had a magnitude of 5, no injuries were reported on Santorini for the time being. Older buildings in particular would show cracks and as a precaution, the schools were closed and just about all events were canceled.