Greece’s government declared a state of emergency on Santorini on Thursday after hundreds of undersea earthquakes shook the resort island for nearly a week. The ministry of civil protection’s announcement will provide authorities faster access to state resources.

The seismic activity has led to a mass exodus of thousands of residents, and workers who are taking the ferry to reach the Greek mainland.

Greece has declared a state of emergency on Santorini after a series of earthquakes shook the popular tourist island this week and prompted more than 10,000 residents and workers to evacuate.

Earthquakes are still rattling Greece’s volcanic island of Santorini every few minutes as authorities bolster their emergency plans in case the hundreds of temblors in recent days are a harbinger of a larger quake to come.

Experts say the Greek island of Santorini has been hit by more than 1,000 earthquakes, but they're not linked to the region's active volcanoes.

Since last week, thousands of residents have left the island by plane and ferry, as hundreds of earthquakes continue to shake the region.

Thousands of locals and travelers have evacuated the Greek island of Santorini amidst a spike in seismic activity.

The strongest earthquake recorded was magnitude 4.6 at 3:55 p.m. Sunday, at a depth of 14 kilometers (9 miles), the Athens Geodynamic Institute said.

Santorini, often called Greece’s "Instagram Island," is famous for its whitewashed buildings and breathtaking caldera, a volcanic crater created by one of the largest known eruptions around 3,600 years ago.