In 2021, a report by the Hellenic Society for Environment and Cultural Heritage commissioned by the island’s authorities said there was an urgent need for a soil engineering study to assess the safety of the buildings on the caldera.
The environment ministry halted construction on the caldera in November for a year and has obliged owners to complete risk assessments or face having permits removed, said Dimitris Bakoyiannis, its secretary general for spatial planning and urban environment.
Earthquake swarm in Greece raises fresh fears over island tourism boom Locals say luxury hotels with pools are hanging off Santorini’s landslide-prone slopes.
A swarm of earthquakes has rattled the Greek island of Santorini, one of the country’s busiest tourist destinations, raising concerns about the stability of the region’s dramatic, volcanic cliffs amidst a decades-long construction boom.
“They wanted to develop the island and didn’t pay attention to environmental and safety issues,” said Dimitris Papanikolaou, professor of geology at the University of Athens and former head of Greece’s Earthquake Planning and Protection Organisation.
