Scientists have detected several thousand earthquakes, the vast majority of them with small magnitudes, in just over two weeks near Greece’s volcanic island of Santorini.

Several more earthquakes have struck waters around the Greek island of Santorini just hours after authorities there declared a state of emergency. The tourist hotspot has been rocked by seismic activity this week with thousands of earthquakes recorded since Sunday.

The Greek island of Santorini normally conjures up images of beautiful white buildings and dreamy blue seas, but since January this year, its home in the Aegean Sea has been hit by a near-constant string of seismic activity – so what’s going on?

Greece’s chief seismologist says that while earthquake frequency around Santorini has slightly decreased, the situation remains unpredictable for the coming weeks.