A landslide has struck the tiny island of Therasia, off the popular holiday island of Santorini.
No injuries were reported, but several stores on the craggy islet in the Aegean suffered considerable damage.
The incident rattled the settlement of Korfos, on the eastern tip of Therasia, near the port for the island’s capital, Manolas.
Concerned experts sped to the island to observe the incident.
Efthymios Lekkas, an expert in Geology and Natural Disaster Management, said the island's steep terrain, significant seismic activity and the unique composition of the island’s geology were contributing factors to Therasia’s landslides.
He said the island’s structure – layers of hard lava over weaker pyroclastic materials– creates conditions prone to landslides. Over time, the erosion of the softer layers undermine the stability of the harder lava, leading to collapses.
Similar conditions, Mr. Lekkas said, were reported in Santorini. He warned of added landslides during the summer months when the island’s population density surges due to tourism.
A string of infrastructure projects have been underway since 2010 to mitigate landslide risks, especially in the island’s old port and the tourist hub of Oia.
Still, Mr. Lekkas advised “ongoing vigilance and caution,” to manage the dynamic and evolving geological landscape.