Alert sounded in Andhra coastal region

Hyderabad, May 9: The Andhra Pradesh government Sunday sounded an alert in the entire coastal region following a massive earthquake in Indonesia.People in areas along the coast were asked to vacate while fishermen were warned against venturing into the sea. The sea appeared rough in some areas with high waves and water coming in up to 100 metres in a few places. Chief Minister K. Rosaiah, who is on a visit to Guntur district, asked the collectors of all nine districts to alert the people. Chief Secretary S.V. Prasad informed the chief minister that there was no threat of a tsunami in the Bay of Bengal. After a review of the situation, the chief minister advised collectors to keep people alert without creating a scare. Officials said two to three metre-high tidal waves were likely along the shore. The sea appeared rough in the coastal regions of Visakhapatnam, West Godavari, Krishna, Nellore and Prakasam districts. In the port city of Visakhapatnam, civil and police authorities closed down the shops near the coast and advised tourists to stay away. Fishermen, who were already in the sea, have been asked to return home while others on the coast warned against venturing in, officials said. Control rooms have been opened in the offices of district collectors to monitor the situation. In Sriharikota in Nellore district, which houses the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) space research centre, Coast Guards were alerted. At least 13 mandals or blocks in Nellore district have been put on alert. At Narsapuram and Perupalem in West Godavari district, sea water was seen pouring in over 100 meter area, creating a tsunami scare among people. The situation was similar in some places in Prakasam district. Andhra Pradesh has a nearly 1,000 km-long coastline. The tsunami which struck the region in 2004 following a massive earthquake in Indonesia and other countries had claimed 100 lives and rendered hundreds homeless
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