With inputs from YOCee editorial team
Many parts in Chennai felt the tremors of an earthquake that struck off the coast of Indonesia around 2 p.m. IST. It is recorded at 8.6 on the Richter scale.
The tremors lasted for a little over 30 seconds. People living in apartments came out of the building. Within minutes, Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued a Tsunami alert in 28 countries including India. People who were working online shared the announcement via the Internet.
A little after this, Police were seen warning people around the beaches through a public addressal system. Since Chennai had borne the brunt of the Tsunami in 2004, many people are alert and taking enough precautions.
As Wednesday being one of the busy weekdays, schools, offices and other work houses were working in full force. It was then students in schools and people in offices and homes felt things around them shaking. Soon they knew it was an earthquake.
Children in schools had mixed feelings. Some were afraid, some were already bidding adieu to each other and some wanted to hit the Marina beach and see how the waves surge up to a massive tide.
Many students who tried to contact their homes found the phone lines were chocked.
The pictures here are of students getting evacuated at 2.15 p.m. in Chettinad Vidyashram, R.A Puram Chennai. As the school is roughly in between two beaches in Chennai, the Marina and the Elliots, the school acted fast and students were evacuated safely.
Update : 4. 25 p.m. : Another mild tremor was felt in parts of Chennai.