Mild tremor felt in three districts

Public said that around 1 am on Sunday when they were fast asleep they felt the tremors. When the utensils and other items in their houses started shaking, they ran out of the homes for safety. Villagers in places like Irumanur, Vadavathi, Mangalampettai in Cuddalore district felt the tremor at the same time and rushed out to open grounds in their villages. Fearing a repeat, they stayed back in the open. They even moved the cattle out to safety. Nearly 10 houses were damaged. Cracks on the walls were witnessed. 

In Thittakudi, the policemen on night duty were forced to rush out of the building following the quake. They immediately informed the RDO. The officials conducted a survey in the affected areas and reassured the panic-stricken residents to return to their homes. 

Police and Fire and rescue team were kept on the alert after the quake. With no signs of any aftershocks, the residents went back to their houses after 6 am in the morning. 

A Virdhachalam farmer Govindasamy said “We were watching a street play late in the night, panic griped the audience when the tremor was felt and immediately the other residents too rushed out of their houses. We all stayed in the open for nearly one and half hour in fear. We resumed the street play to keep ourselves engaged and went back home only in the morning.”

Nearly, 100 villages in Villupuram district reported experiencing shock around 1 am. According to sources, the quake lasted for about 10 seconds. Perambalur district residents reported hearing a loud noise in the night. They said the quake shook for 5 to 7 seconds. The tremor was felt in Perambalur, Veppanthattai and Eariyur. In Keeranur a house developed cracks after the quake. 

A resident of Perambalur Malar said “As it was Saturday and the next day being a holiday, we were watching T.V. till late night. A sudden explosive noise was heard and the dogs started barking indiscriminately. We felt the tremor and all the utensils in the house shook vehemently for few seconds.” 

It may be remembered that similar quake with more intensity had been reported in 1982 and 2012 around afternoon earlier. The reoccurrence of such phenomena has put the residents on tenterhooks.