The hundreds of minor and moderate tremors to shake Santorini over the past 12 days have prompted more than a third of the island's 16,000 residents to leave for the mainland out of fear a major earthquake could soon strike,

Mitsotakis's remarks come as many people in Santorini spent Sunday night outdoors, amid fears of potential damage to buildings during the quakes. Some focal points of the tremors have been recorded at a depth of just 2km (1.2miles) below the surface.

A series of earthquakes near the Greek island of Santorini have led authorities to shut down schools, dispatch rescue teams with sniffer dogs and sent instructions to residents including a request to