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Panicky citizens rushed outdoors and a few buildings developed cracks as Tamil Nadu experienced mild tremors for two to five seconds around 2030 hours (IST) on Tuesday evening.
There have been no reports of loss of life or damage to property so far.
Various parts of northern and southern Tamil Nadu, and the Union Territory of Pondicherry felt the tremors.
With memories of the 'Gujarat quake' still fresh in their minds, people could feel the blood gushing through their veins as the earth shook.
"I was sitting in my house with my family when I asked my son not to rock the dining table. It was only later that we realised that it could have been a tremor," says Srimathi, a housewife in the posh Adyar locality.
Soon the family joined the rest of the residents of the apartment on the streets. They returned only after an hour.
"I was in the office lift when I felt the tremors. Fortunately, the lift did not stop functioning," says Rajasekharan who works in the busy Nungambakkam High Road.
However, he is not sure whether any office buildings have been damaged. "There are no visible signs, or reports, and we will know for sure only when the offices open on Wednesday morning," he said.
Telephone and mobile phone lines were clogged by over-usage within minutes after the tremors. Tamil television channels carried flash-strips about the tremors.
This only contributed to further jamming of telephone lines with concerned family members calling up relatives.
Matters settled down only after it became known that there was no loss of life or damage to property.
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