Since the end of January, the majority of Santorini residents have left the island by plane and ferry, as thousands of earthquakes continue to shake the region.

Authorities have declared a state of emergency on a second Greek island as a series of earthquakes continued to rattle the south-eastern Aegean Sea region.

A series of earthquakes near Santorini, Greece has prompted tourists to flee the area and the country to declare a state of emergency.

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

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

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 popular Greek tourist island of Santorini has experienced thousands of near-constant earthquakes since Jan. 25, prompting more than 13,000 of the island’s 15,500 residents to leave the island, according to The New York Times.

Seismologists have noted that the epicentre of the earthquakes is steadily drifting northward in the direction of Amorgos.