A landslide occurred in Thirasia, Santorini, on Saturday afternoon, next to the port of Corfu, and caused a huge cloud of dust, fortunately with no injuries, except for some material damage.
The professor of Geology and Natural Disaster Management as well as the president of OASP Efthymios Lekkas speaking on an ERT show said among other things that “Santorini always has a high landslide risk in the caldera. What does this mean; It means that we have the occurrence of many landslides and these many landslides are due to the fact that the causes are there. The reasons are the following: the steep morphological gradients, the high seismicity that characterizes Santorini and the sequence of rocks. It is made up of volcanic rocks, lavas and pyroclastics in continuous repetitions. Pyroclastic rocks are easily dissolved while lavas are probably the hardest rocks that exist, so when a pyroclastic rock is under a lava volume, it slowly erodes causing the overlying lava to lose its support. It is the classic mechanism that develops in Santorini, almost throughout the caldera.”
Mr. Lekkas added that “in 2011 we had the loss of people in Oia due to the occurrence of the landslide and in general the risk is high, but the exposure of people is also very high because we have a high population density in the summer months. Therefore, it creates a problem which of course we have pointed out for several years. The necessary measures have been taken, in 2010 major works have been carried out in Santorini in order to deal with the landslides in Athinios and the old port and Oia. But as you understand all this is in a dynamic process of development[…] As I told you, it needs some attention. Things are not prohibited. But it needs some attention. I have already spoken with the Mayor and the Regional Governor, Mr. Hatzimarkos in the South Aegean and we have said some future actions that should be taken immediately. And of course, by order of the Minister of Mr. Kikilia, I will go to Santorini so that we can see the urgent actions that we need to take in order to reduce the risk, which I repeat is of particular importance, because Easter is also the beginning of the tourist season”.
The moment of the landslide was captured by boaters.
Thirasia belongs to the Cyclades and is located to the west of Santorini. It is about one mile from Amoudi of Oia. The island was a small part of the western coast of prehistoric Strogyli and is thought to have been cut off and created during the great eruption of 1600 BC.