People ran out of their homes in several parts of the city following mild tremors that were felt twice on Tuesday following an earthquake of 7.6 magnitude on the Richter scale. However, there was no damage to life and property.
Lasting between 60 to 90 seconds, the tremors scared people living near the Beach road and a few interior areas, leaving furniture and utensils shaking. Even as people were wondering what had hit them, the second tremor hit, lasting about 20 seconds more than the first.
Apartment-dwellers felt the impact more and at many places, they ran helter-skelter, with the haunting memory of the tsunami of December 26, 2004. But it was only later that they were told it was a tremor due to an earthquake that occurred about 1,100 km away from here, deep in the ocean. As relief set in, they trudged back to their homes. District officials sent teams to the Beach road to keep close vigil on the sea waves.
Tremors were reported from Sompeta, Kanchili, Kaviti, Amudalavalasa, Srikakulam rural areas and Vizianagaram too. The loss without fishing operations was estimated to be Rs. 2.5 crore a day as the fishermen did not venture into the sea. Every Tuesday, the fishermen offer prayers to Goddess Gangamma and, it was on a bigger scale this Tuesday as they believed that the Goddess had saved them.
Staff Reporter from Vijayawada adds: Residents in many areas here ran out of their houses. In Ajit Singh Nagar, Vambay Colony, Machavaram, Patamatalanka and residential areas around Benz Circle, people were fast asleep. Rudely woken up, they called their near and dear to confirm if the tremors they felt were true. “I was studying for my exams and felt the chair moving,” said S.T.P. Teja, a student in Machavaram.
With rumours that a tsunami hit the coast, Joint Collector B. Ramaiah and Vijayawada Urban Tehsildar Ch. Ramesh Babu visited Machavaram area and assured people that there was no threat to life.
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