Emergency crews deployed on Santorini as an earthquake swarm worries Greek experts

SANTORINI, Greece (AP) — Authorities deployed emergency rescue crews to Greece's volcanic island of Santorini on Monday as hundreds of people scrambled to leave after a spike in seismic activity raised concerns about a potentially powerful earthquake. Schools on four islands were also to shutter through Friday.

Precautions were also ordered on several nearby Aegean Sea islands — all popular summer vacation destinations — after more than 200 undersea earthquakes were recorded in the area over the past three days.

“We have a very intense geological phenomenon to handle,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said from Brussels, where he was attending a European meeting. "I want to ask our islanders first and foremost to remain calm, to listen to the instructions of the Civil Protection (authority)."

Mobile phones on the island blared with alert warnings about the potential for rockslides, while several earthquakes caused loud rumbles. Authorities banned access to some seaside areas, including the island's old port, that are in close proximity to cliffs.

“These measures are precautionary, and authorities will remain vigilant,” Civil Protection Minister Vasilis Kikilias said late Sunday following an emergency government meeting in Athens. “We urge citizens to strictly adhere to safety recommendations to minimize risk.”

While Greek experts say the quakes, which have reached magnitude 4.9 are not linked to Santorini’s volcano, they acknowledge that the pattern of seismic activity is cause for concern.

Government officials met with scientists throughout the weekend and on Monday to assess the situation, while schools were also ordered shut on the nearby islands of Amorgos, Anafi and Ios for the entire week.

The frequency of the quakes, which continued throughout Sunday night and into Monday, has worried residents and visitors.

“I have never felt anything like this and with such frequency — an earthquake every 10 or 20 minutes. Everyone is anxious even if some of us hide it not to cause panic, but everyone is worried," said Michalis Gerontakis, who is also the director of the Santorini Philharmonic Orchestra.

“We came out yesterday and performed. Despite the earthquakes, the philharmonic performed for a religious occasion,” Gerontakis said. "When you are playing, you cannot feel the quakes but there were earthquakes when we were at the church. No one can know what will happen. People can say whatever they like, but that has no value. You cannot contend with nature.”

Residents and visitors were advised to avoid large indoor gatherings and areas where rock slides could occur, while hotels were instructed to drain swimming pools to reduce potential building damage from an earthquake.

Fire service rescuers who arrived on the island on Sunday set up yellow tents as a staging area inside a basketball court next to the island's main hospital.

“We arrived last night, a 26-member team of rescuers and one rescue dog," said fire brigadier Ioannis Billias, adding that many residents, including entire families, spent the night in their cars.

Some residents and local workers headed to travel agents seeking plane or ferry tickets to leave the island.

“We’ve had earthquakes before but never anything like this. This feels different," said Nadia Benomar, a Moroccan tour guide who has lived on the island for 19 years. She bought a ferry ticket Monday for the nearby island of Naxos.

“I need to get away for a few days until things calm down,” she said.

A queue of cars and hundreds of people formed at the island's main port Monday afternoon to catch a ferry leaving Santorini.

Others said they were willing to take the risk. Restaurant worker Yiannis Fragiadakis had been away but said he returned to Santorini on Sunday despite the earthquakes.

“I wasn’t afraid. I know that people are really worried and are leaving, and when I got to the port it was really busy, it was like the summer," Fragiadakis said. "I plan to stay and hopefully the restaurant will start working (for the holiday season) in three weeks.”

South Korean tourist Soo Jin Kim, from Seoul, arrived Sunday on a family vacation.

“We had dinner last night at the hotel and felt mild shakes about 10 times. But at midnight we felt a big one, a big shake so I checked the news report we are half-worried and half-looking to see what the situation is,” she said, adding she didn't plan to change her travel plans.

Crescent-shaped Santorini is a premier tourism destination with daily arrivals via commercial flights, ferries, and cruise ships. The island draws more than 3 million visitors annually to its whitewashed villages built along dramatic cliffs formed by a massive volcanic eruption — considered to be one of the largest in human history — more than 3,500 years ago.

That eruption, which occurred around 1620 B.C., destroyed a large part of the island, blanketed a wide area in meters (feet) of ash and is believed to have contributed to the decline of the ancient Minoan civilization, which had flourished in the region.

Although it is still an active volcano, the last notable eruption occurred in 1950.

Prominent Greek seismologist Gerasimos Papadopoulos cautioned that the current earthquake sequence – displayed on live seismic maps as a growing cluster of dots between the islands of Santorini, Ios, Amorgos, and Anafi — could indicate a larger impending event.

“All scenarios remain open,” Papadopoulos wrote in an online post. “The number of tremors has increased, magnitudes have risen, and epicenters have shifted northeast. While these are tectonic quakes, not volcanic, the risk level has escalated.”

In Santorini’s main town of Fira, local authorities designated gathering points for residents in preparation for a potential evacuation, though Mayor Nikos Zorzos emphasized the preventive nature of the measures.

“We are obliged to make preparations. But being prepared for something does not mean it will happen,” he said during a weekend briefing. “Sometimes, the way the situation is reported, those reports may contain exaggerations... so people should stay calm.”

Associated Press writer Elena Becatoros in Athens contributed to this report.

A tourist sits at Firostefani as Greek authorities are taking emergency measures in response to intense seismic activity on the popular Aegean Sea holiday island of Santorini, southern Greece, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

The sun sets behind the volcanic island of Nea Kameni, as authorities take emergency measures in response to intense seismic activity on the popular Aegean Sea holiday island of Santorini, southern Greece, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Passengers board a regularly scheduled ferry to Athens' port of Piraeus, after a spike in seismic activity raised concerns about a potentially powerful earthquake in Santorini, southern Greece, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Passengers wait for the arrival of a regularly scheduled ferry to Athens' port of Piraeus, after a spike in seismic activity raised concerns about a potentially powerful earthquake in Santorini, southern Greece, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Passengers board a regularly scheduled ferry to Athens' port of Piraeus, after a spike in seismic activity raised concerns about a potentially powerful earthquake in Santorini, southern Greece, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Passengers board a regularly scheduled ferry to Athens' port of Piraeus, after a spike in seismic activity raised concerns about a potentially powerful earthquake in Santorini, southern Greece, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A regularly scheduled ferry departs from Santorini to Athens' port of Piraeus, after a spike in seismic activity raised concerns about a potentially powerful earthquake in Santorini, southern Greece, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

People wait for the arrival of a regularly scheduled ferry to Athens' port of Piraeus, after a spike in seismic activity raised concerns about a potentially powerful earthquake in Santorini, southern Greece, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Passengers wait for the arrival of a regularly scheduled ferry to Athens' port of Piraeus, after a spike in seismic activity raised concerns about a potentially powerful earthquake in Santorini, southern Greece, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Tourists walk on the narrow streets of Fira town as emergency crews were deployed after an earthquake swarm worries Greek experts on the popular Aegean Sea holiday island of Santorini, southern Greece, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

People wait for the arrival of a regularly scheduled ferry to Athens' port of Piraeus, after a spike in seismic activity raised concerns about a potentially powerful earthquake in Santorini, southern Greece, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Passengers board a regularly scheduled ferry to Athens' port of Piraeus, after a spike in seismic activity raised concerns about a potentially powerful earthquake in Santorini, southern Greece, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

People wait for the arrival of a regularly scheduled ferry to Athens' port of Piraeus, after a spike in seismic activity raised concerns about a potentially powerful earthquake in Santorini, southern Greece, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Tourists pass by closed shops in Fira town as Greek authorities are taking emergency measures in response to intense seismic activity on the popular Aegean Sea holiday island of Santorini, southern Greece, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

The volcanic island of Nea Kameni, left, is seen from Fira town as Greek authorities are taking emergency measures in response to intense seismic activity on the popular Aegean Sea holiday island of Santorini, southern Greece, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A firefighter controls a drone next to tourists after emergency crews were deployed to the island as Greek authorities are taking emergency measures in response to intense seismic activity on the popular Aegean Sea holiday island of Santorini, southern Greece, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A firefighter walks next to tents set up at a basketball court to accommodate Fire Service rescuers as Greek authorities is taking emergency measures in response to intense seismic activity on the popular Aegean Sea holiday island of Santorini, southern Greece, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

People wait to buy boat and air tickets as Greek authorities are taking emergency measures in response to intense seismic activity on the popular Aegean Sea holiday island of Santorini, southern Greece, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

People wait to buy boat and air tickets as Greek authorities are taking emergency measures in response to intense seismic activity on the popular Aegean Sea holiday island of Santorini, southern Greece, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A firefighter walks next to tents set up at a basketball court to accommodate Fire Service rescuers as Greek authorities is taking emergency measures in response to intense seismic activity on the popular Aegean Sea holiday island of Santorini, southern Greece, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A firefighter walks among tents set up at a basketball court to accommodate Fire Service rescuers as Greek authorities are taking emergency measures in response to intense seismic activity on the popular Aegean Sea holiday island of Santorini, southern Greece, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

FILE - Ruins of a settlement, including a former Catholic monastery, lie on the rocky promontory of Skaros on the Greek island of Santorini, Wednesday, June 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)

FILE - Ruins of a settlement, including a former Catholic monastery, lie on the rocky promontory of Skaros on the Greek island of Santorini, on June 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Konnor Griffin endured plenty of emotions when the 19-year-old shortstop learned the Pittsburgh Pirates were calling him up to the majors just a week into the season.

Shock was not one of them.

“I'm ready for this,” Griffin said Friday, just hours before making his major league debut against Baltimore at PNC Park.

The Pirates are betting big on it, making Griffin the first position player to arrive in the majors before his 20th birthday since Juan Soto did it in Washington in 2018.

Just 628 days after Pittsburgh selected him with the ninth pick in the 2024 first-year player draft, the athletic and mustachioed 6-foot-3 Griffin found a No. 6 jersey hanging in his locker at PNC Park and his name penciled in the seventh spot in the lineup against the Orioles.

On the surface, it seems fast. The reality is that Griffin checked every box — and checked every box quickly — while sprinting through the Pirates' system. The final steps came over the last week when he hit .438 in a handful of games for Triple-A Indianapolis.

Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly felt like Griffin was “pressing” near the end of spring training, when Griffin smashed three homers but also hit just .171. The club made Griffin one of the last cuts before the opening day roster was set. Yet rather than sulk, he headed to Triple-A, made a couple of adjustments, and saw immediate results.

“He just went right down and hit his stride and was able to reset in a couple of days,” Kelly said. “Which again, for anybody, is really impressive, especially for a 19-year-old kid whose hopes and dreams were to make the big leagues.”

That doesn't make Griffin unlike the millions of kids who pick up a bat when they're in elementary school. It's everything that has come after it, however, that has set Griffin apart. He raced through the lower levels of the minors last year, hitting 21 homers, driving in 94 runs, and stealing 65 bases while showcasing the range to play one of the game's most demanding defensive positions.

Yet it's not just the tangible on-field things that won the organization over. Griffin has long carried himself with the maturity of someone far older. He married his high school sweetheart, Dendy, over the winter. And she was the first one he told after Indianapolis manager Eric Patterson called Griffin to his hotel room in Columbus early Thursday to tell him he was heading to The Show.

The next 24 hours were a blur. From the short drive from Columbus to Pittsburgh to the scramble for the Mississippi native's family to make it to the ballpark that's tucked hard against the Allegheny River in time for Friday's first pitch.

Finally, just after noon, Griffin was able to relax. He trotted out to shortstop and took grounders, his frame and arm making him look very much the part of the role he's been preparing for since he was 5.

Griffin's skillset has drawn comparisons to the likes of Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., heady territory for someone less than two years removed from his high school graduation. Still, he's not getting ahead of himself.

“Today is the first day of carving out a legacy that I want to build,” he said. "And I’m ready to do that and try to be right up there with those top guys.”

Griffin is the latest in a string of high-profile arrivals in Pittsburgh, from reigning Cy Young winner Paul Skenes to rookie right-hander Bubba Chandler to catcher Henry Davis.

The future that's been talked about since general manager Ben Cherington was hired in late 2019 is finally arriving. And perhaps it's telling of how far the club has come that Griffin is joining a roster that has undergone a significant upgrade in recent months with the additions of All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe, All-Star first baseman/outfielder Ryan O'Hearn and veteran designated hitter Marcell Ozuna.

“This team is loaded,” Griffin said. “I get to come in here and just be a piece of this puzzle.”

Perhaps a very big piece. For a very long time. The Pirates and Griffin have engaged in talks about a contract extension that would lock him up for most of the next decade.

Griffin demurred when asked about it on Friday, though he made his intentions very clear.

“All I’m going to say is, I want to be a Pirate for a long time,” he said. "This is a special place and I’m thankful to be here.”

Perhaps most importantly because it means he can shed the “top prospect” label and stop focusing so much on his individual development and instead turn his attention to helping the Pirates make a playoff push for the first time since the mid-2010s.

“Now it’s time to take all the skills that I’ve learned,” he said, "all the adjustments I’ve made. It’s time to go put them on the field and go win some games.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb

Pittsburgh Pirates' Konnor Griffin, right, follows manager Don Kelly, center, and owner Bob Nutting into a meeting with reporters before making his Major League Baseball debut in the Pirates' home-opener against the Baltimore Orioles, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Pirates' Konnor Griffin meets with reporters before making his Major League Baseball debut in the Pirates' home-opener against the Baltimore Orioles, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Pirates' Konnor Griffin meets with reporters before making his Major League Baseball debut in the Pirates' home-opener against the Baltimore Orioles, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)