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.

Multiple earthquakes are rattling Santorini, a volcanic island in Greece, prompting authorities to dispatch rescuers with tents, a sniffer dog and drones, and to shut schools on four islands. Last week,

The threat of a more major earthquake seems to have subsided on the most visited of the Greek islands but experts disagree on the origin of the tremors that have caused 11,000 of the 15,000 permanent residents to flee.

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.

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