More than 11,000 residents have packed their bags and left after a flurry of earthquakes sent shockwaves through the holiday hotspot.

The Greek government’s chief seismologist says the frequency of earthquakes affecting Santorini and nearby islands has eased in recent days, but that the outlook for continued tremors in the coming weeks remains uncertain.

The Greek island of Santorini normally conjures up images of beautiful white buildings and dreamy blue seas, but since January this year, its home in the Aegean Sea has been hit by a near-constant string of seismic activity – so what’s going on?

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.