Residents on the popular island of Santorini have experienced thousands of earthquakes this month while researchers have revealed a new magma chamber growing underneath the Kolumbo submarine volcano.

Greece’s government declared a state of emergency on Santorini on Thursday after hundreds of undersea earthquakes shook the resort island for nearly a week. The ministry of civil protection’s announcement will provide authorities faster access to state resources.

ATHENS : An earthquake of 5.3 magnitude hit the Greek island of Santorini late yesterday, officials said, the strongest yet of the thousands of tremors that have shaken the area, prompting thousands to leave. Felt as far away as Athens, the undersea quake caused neither damage nor injuries.

Experts say the Greek island of Santorini has been hit by more than 1,000 earthquakes, but they're not linked to the region's active volcanoes.

Earthquakes rattled Greece’s volcanic island of Santorini every few minutes overnight and into Wednesday as authorities bolstered emergency plans in case the hundreds of temblors over the past few days are a harbinger of a larger quake to come.

A series of earthquakes shook the popular tourist island this week and prompted over 10,000 residents and workers to evacuate.

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

Repeated earthquakes are rattling Greece’s volcanic island of Santorini. Scientists say the quakes aren't related to a slight increase in volcanic activity that has also been registered recently.

NBC News’ Matt Bradley reports on the aftermath and public response to several days of near constant earthquakes around the tourist hotspot of Santorini, Greece.