ATHENS, Greece — 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, the University of Athens’ crisis management committee said Tuesday, adding that a larger quake cannot be ruled out.

Thousands of locals and travelers have evacuated the Greek island of Santorini amidst a spike in seismic activity.

Prominent Greek seismologist Gerasimos Papadopoulos cautioned that the current earthquake sequence - displayed on live seismic maps as a growing cluster of dots between the islands of Santorini, Ios, Amorgos, and Anafi - could indicate a larger impending event.

February marks the unofficial start of the tourist season in the Greek island of Santorini - when the first cruise ships are due to arrive and the Easter holidays approach. But with thousands of earthquakes shaking the island since January and experts unable to say when they will end,

Authorities declared a state of emergency on a second Greek island Wednesday as a series of earthquakes continued to rattle the south-eastern Aegean Sea region. The emergency measure announced on the island of Amorgos follows a similar decision for nearby Santorini on Feb.