February marks the unofficial start of the tourist season in the Greek island of Santorini - when the first cruise ships are due to arrive and the Easter holidays approach. But with thousands of earthquakes shaking the island since January and experts unable to say when they will end,

ATHENS, Greece — 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, the University of Athens’ crisis management committee said Tuesday, adding that a larger quake cannot be ruled out.

More Greek islands closed schools Tuesday as hundreds of earthquakes ratted the Aegean Sea, while a handful of hardy tourists enjoyed having Santorini’s stunning views to themselves

It welcomes around 3 million visitors per year, but between January 26 and February 8, the Seismology Laboratory of the University of Athens has registered a staggering 12,800 earthquakes in the Santorini-Amorgos zone, the strongest of these was last night at a magnitude of 5.3.

A seismologist from the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre has said it may take “weeks” to see how the ongoing earthquakes disrupting Santorini and other Greek islands evolve, warning that the disruption seen so far could amount to foreshocks ahead of a larger quake.

The Greek island of Santorini was struck by the latest in a string of earthquakes Tuesday, this time a 4.8 temblor. The government said it will backstop the island destination's tourist industry.

The latest of hundreds of earthquakes rattled the volcanic Greek island of Santorini on Tuesday after the strongest one so far with magnitude 5.3. Medical staff staged a hospital evacuation drill as scientists say it's unclear whether the weeks of highly unusual seismic activity precede a larger quake.