Not even during the dark days of the pandemic was the island this empty.

Back then, flights and ferries were cancelled and tourists had to stay away from Santorini, the jewel in Greece’s tourism crown.

But at least the islanders remained.

Now, after three weeks of the outcrop in the Aegean being rattled by more than 20,000 earthquakes, even islanders have packed up and left.

Around 11,000, more than half Santorini’s population, have fled the nerve-shredding succession of tremors.

Bars, boutiques and restaurants are shuttered, as are ticket agencies, tavernas and quad bike hire outlets. A state of emergency has been declared and schools are closed.

Strips of red and white police tape are strung across stairways that lead down the precipitous cliffs of Santorini’s volcanic caldera to the sea.

Even hotel swimming pools have been emptied for fear that the water sloshing around during an earthquake will provoke further instability.