The hundreds of minor and moderate tremors to shake Santorini over the past 12 days have prompted more than a third of the island's 16,000 residents to leave for the mainland out of fear a major earthquake could soon strike,

Hundreds of smaller quakes had already been recorded over the weekend, with some entire families spending Sunday night sheltering in their cars.

Mitsotakis's remarks come as many people in Santorini spent Sunday night outdoors, amid fears of potential damage to buildings during the quakes. Some focal points of the tremors have been recorded at a depth of just 2km (1.2miles) below the surface.