Greek islands rocked by earthquakes
The Greek Cyclades island group in the Aegean Sea has been hit by a series of earthquakes over the last two weeks. Experts have issued warnings and thousands of residents and tourists have left the popular holiday resort island of Santorini, which was hit on Wednesday by the strongest quake so far, measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale. Man and nature don't always get along, commentators stress.
Exceeding the limits of the permissible
Protagon sheds light on construction projects in the volcanic zone surrounding Santorini:
“It's no secret that the Caldera [a crater region created by volcanic eruptions] is being built on, and it's well known that permits that should never have been granted in the first place are now being revoked. This is no mystery, it's Greek-style 'magic'. Just recently, by the way, a decision was taken to ban construction work in the Caldera. ... Clearly it's already too late. The limits of permissible development have long since been breached, and all the permits that are being revoked today should not only never have been issued, but were illegal from the outset. But that didn't stop them from being issued.”
Naivety in the face of nature
Phileleftheros reflects on the relationship between humanity and the environment:
“On the one hand, it's admirable that humans believe they can tame nature: that they can control earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis. That's why they invest millions on the edges of cliffs, and above volcanoes. Is this naivety, arrogance, or perhaps an optimistic attitude that it will all be fine? ... That we still have time to win by taking advantage of the wildness, or the calm, or whatever else nature offers? But do we? Visitors are rushing to leave the island, business owners are worried about a lost season, and the loyal islanders, those with roots there, are trying to protect themselves without leaving the island.”