Assam quake tremors felt in TN

A mild earthquake measuring 3.7 on the Richter scale hit Assam on Saturday and tremors were felt in far away Tamil Nadu causing a scare among the people.

A mild quake was recorded by the India Metrological Department’s (IMD) Delhi Centre at 2:35 pm as having occurred in Sonepur in Assam, the Met Office in Chennai said on Saturday evening. The tremors felt in the southern part of Tamil Nadu could have been its extended fallout.

Around the same time, police headquarters in Tirunelveli received reports of a mild tremor in Kalakadu village and its surrounding areas, official sources told Deccan Herald. People rushed out of their homes when the tremor was felt for two seconds, rattling vessels in households, sources said. There were no casualties and damage to property.

The locals were nonetheless apprehensive as Kalakadu is not far away from the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant. But the Met officials discounted any fears, even as they await expert analysis.

Meanwhile, heavy rain lashed several parts of Tamil Nadu with Coonoor in Nilgiris district recording a maximum of 13 cm of rain. Landslips and uprooting of trees and electric posts in several areas of the Nilgiris had occurred in the last 24 hours, sources said.