Panic gripped Chennaites gather at Marina
Chennai: Even as panic gripped Chennaites
following the massive earthquake in Indonesia on Wednesday, it was a
tough time for police to dissuade people hoping to see tsunami from gathering at the famous Marina beach.
Marina beach was hit by a 2004 killer tsunami.
"We want to see a live tsunami," said an elderly woman who
was among a large number of people assembled at the beach,
noting the earlier warning that the tsunami was to hit Chennai
around 1700 hours.
"There is no specific threat. It was a watch and alert.
There is no likelihood of any tsunami in the Indian Ocean
region," National Disaster Management Authority Vice President
Sashidhar Reddy said.
On a sleepy Sunday morning in 2004, giant tidal waves had
consumed many morning walkers and youngsters playing on the
sands with the salt foamed water changing the very looks of
the otherwise serene Marina into that of a battle field.
Strong fibre boats and cars had been tossed up with the
fury of the waves landng them on the busy Kamarajar Salai
stretch.
Though policemen on vans were announcing on the public
address system dissuading the people from going to the sea,
many people gathered to see the tsunami, driven by their
curiosity.
Many of the government offices, educational institutions
and private companies were closed as the city experienced a
second aftershock at around 4.45 pm.
Traffic on the roads was chocked as the flow of vehicles
witnessed an immediate spurt after the news of tremors spread.
Several of the cell phone services were disrupted
following the tremor.