Authorities on a mid-Atlantic Portuguese island hit by thousands of small earthquakes in recent days started evacuating people living at the bottom of coastal cliffs on Thursday as fears of a stronger tremor or a volcanic eruption grow.
Since Saturday, over 2,000 earthquakes, with a magnitude of between 1.6 and 3.3, have been recorded on the volcanic island of Sao Jorge in the Azores archipelago, according to the region’s CIVISA seismo-volcanic surveillance center.
About 200 of the recorded earthquakes, which had a magnitude of up to 3.3, have been felt by the population. Filipe Azevedo, who owns a hotel on the island, said people are “very scared”.
The 42-year-old added: “We are all very anxious. It is a phenomenon for which we are not prepared.” The region’s CIVISA seismo-volcanic surveillance center raised the volcanic alert to Level 4 on Wednesday, which meant there is a “real possibility” the volcano could erupt for the first time since 1808.
