People unwary of tsunami alert, throng beach in city

Visakhapatnam authorities are on high alert after an earthquake, measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale struck the Indonesian coast on Sunday. Local authorities were warned by the tsunami warning centre and alerted by the natural calamities cell. They immediately rushed to the beach and evacuated tourists and beach goers. Both the district collector, Mr J. Shyamala Rao, and the commissioner of police, Mr G. Purna Chandra Rao, visited the R K Beach and took steps to pack off visitors. Instead of rushing away, people were rushing onto the beach road to see if there were tidal waves.

Prof O.S.R.U. Bhanumu Kumar, oceanography department, Andhra University said, “We must understand that only an earthquake measuring over 7.5 on the Richter scale can cause secondary reactions that can result in a tsunami. Moreover, the earthquake should last for more than 8 to 10 minutes and should result from a minimum depth of 25 metres to 50 metres under water in the coastal belt. This is a case of calling wolf."