A village near Iraklio on the island of Crete, has been placed under a state of emergency after large ground fissures caused serious damage to about 20 homes. Nine houses in Voutes have been marked as unsafe, forcing evacuations, officials said.

“The cracks are essentially due to some form of landslide phenomenon,” said Efthymios Lekkas, head of the Earthquake Planning and Protection Organization. Experts are examining whether the damage stems from a ground fracture, landslide, rotational slip, differential settlement, or even soil liquefaction.

One theory suggests a small leak in a water pipe may have contributed to the ground’s instability. Another points to underground water movements. “It could be tectonic in nature, but not earthquake-related,” Lekkas said, adding that detailed studies are under way.

The emergency declaration will last one month. Experts warn that such phenomena could increase across Greece, with climate change causing more intense rainfall, destabilizing already fragile ground structures.

Source: Ekathimerini.com