Thiruvantapuram, May 09: An alert was sounded in coastal areas of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, with authorities asked to remain vigilant after a powerful earthquake struck an Indonesian province, setting off fears of a Tsunami.
Fishermen were advised not to venture into the sea and people living close to the shore asked to move to safer places in Tamil Nadu, where however, the alert was withdrawn in the evening, police and officials said.
As the quake of 7.2 magnitude hit Aceh province in Indonesia at 12.59 PM (local time), authorities in both states were on alert after the Centre advised states concerned to take precautionary steps.
Marina beach in Chennai was declared out of bounds for public and traffic on roads leading to it was diverted. Later in the evening, traffic resumed.
–PTI