Tuesday, March 29 2005 11:36 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Chennai: After last night's (Mar 28, 2005) tsunami scare in the wake of a strong earthquake rocking Sumatra Island, the life in coastal areas of Tamil Nadu has returned to normalcy, police and fire service sources said.

The sources said early this morning (MAR 29, 2005) that the State administration had officially announced withdrawal of the tsunami warning.

Large number of people who had left coastal areas for safer places and those who were evacuated last night, returned to their respective homes this morning.

In Chennai city, the administration provided food packets to those evacuated and shifted to safer places, the sources said.

Immediately after the quake, alert was sounded in coastal areas of various States, including Tamil Nadu and the Government asked the district collectors and superintendent of police to monitor the situation, besides asking people to move to safer areas.

The State Chief Minister Jayalalithaa was in constant touch with the Union Home Ministry to have an update on tsunami.

People in the coastal areas of Kerala, who fled their homes last night for safer places fearing another tsunami following the earthquake off the Indonesian coast, also started returning to their dwellings early this morning after the administration withdrew the tsunami warning.

People who had left their houses in Kollam and Alappuzha districts and settled in camps, churches and schools had started going back to their homes, official sources said.

Thousands of people had left their houses from Arattupuzh in Alappuzha and Azheekal, Alappad and Karunagappally in Kollam districts, areas devastated by the December 26 tsunami.

Around 10,000 people had been shifted to interior areas in Kollam district alone, the sources said. The Government, NGOs and Mata Amritanandamayi Math took active role in providing assistance to the panic-stricken people.

Fishermen who returned from the sea by around 03:00 hrs (IST), unaware of the panic back in the shores, said they had not witnessed any unusual movements in the sea.