Sunday, December 26 2004 10:59 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Chennai: Panic gripped residents in the metropolis and suburbs rushed out of their houses after they felt tremors around 6:30 hrs (IST), but police and fire service sources said that there were not reports of any damage.

Confirming the tremor, Seismic wing of the Indian Metrological department in Chennai said over two hours after it was felt, that an earthquake measuring 8.0 on Richter scale was recorded near Sumatra Islands in Indonesia and the shocks were felt in Chennai.

Sources at the Madras University, which has a Geological department, also said the an earthquake measuring 8.1 on Richter scale was recorded north of Sumatra and the effects of such a quake "can be felt upto 2000 kms".

The tremor was felt in entire Andhra Pradesh coast, Met sources said.

Many people in the city called up to say that it appeared that the sea level in some areas, including Santome and Triplicane, had risen and the water had come to the road level.

People in some parts of Chennai felt the tremor and they ran out of their houses, according to the telephone calls received by the Met office. "Glass panes of windows shook and we also felt the shock," the sources said.

People, particularly residing in high-rise buildings, rushed out of their apartments. The tremor was felt for a few seconds and many people besieged the Met office in anxiety.

The last such tremor was felt on January 26, 2002 measuring 4.8 Richter scale at 8:27 hrs (IST) near Pondicherry. Before that, on September 25, 2001, a tremor was felt around 8:30 hrs (IST) with epic centre in Gujarat measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale.