Portugal's President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa visited São Jorge, an island in the Azores, on Sunday, where fears are growing that a volcanic eruption may be imminent.
On his arrival, Rebelo said he was not at all afraid to come to the island which is almost 1,500 kilometres from the mainland.
His aim is to "convey confidence to the people," he said, adding that they should not worry or feel alarmed, according to the Correio da Manhã newspaper.
People are worried due to the 13,000 small tremors recorded since March 19, twice as many as throughout the whole of last year.
Such tremors can indicate an impending eruption, as was the case just before the volcano in Cumbre Vieja on La Palma erupted last year, causing extensive destruction.
More than 1,500 people of São Jorge's population of 8,400 have now left the island for fear the same could happen to them.
However, experts have said that there is not enough information to be able to make concrete predictions. Geologist Ricardo Ramalho told Público newspaper that it was not possible to rule out a major volcanic eruption similar to La Palma's but noted often, such "seismic crises do not lead to volcanic eruptions."
