Huge waves in Orissa coast; no casualty

Huge waves lashed the Orissa coast, even as a 'great intensity quake' rattled several districts in the state on Sunday morning, official sources said.

There was, however, no report of any loss of life or damage to property.

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People rushed out of their homes when doors and windows rattled due to a quake at around 0640 IST.

The tremors, which were felt in at least 12 districts along the coastal belt, lasted for about six seconds. Some districts experienced tremors twice.

''The intensity of the tremor was about 3 on the modified Mercall intensity scale,'' Director of the meteorological centre in Bhubaneswar S C Sahu said.

The tremor was traced to the west coast of northern Sumatra in Indonesia, about 2,100 km south-east from Orissa, he said.

Official sources said there were no reports of any sea surge in the state of the sort reported in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

However, a Berhampur report said a young boy, who was part of a picnic party, was washed away by the sea at Gopalpur but was rescued by fishermen.

Many boats and nets were washed away near Nandapur and Reukuti villages near Gopalpur, sources said.