Fishermen flee as tall waves hit south Indian coast

TRIVANDRUM, India - Thousands of fishermen fled their coastal homes in southern India late on Friday after the level of sea water rose, reviving memories of the December 26 tsunami that killed 227,000 people around the Indian ocean.

The fishermen rushed for shelter as waves reaching 2m high lashed the coast every 15 seconds, swamping houses and huts about 400m from the sea.

"We're always scared of when the next big wave is going to hit our shores," said Jenova Selvam, 32, huddled in a relief camp with two children.

Inderjit Singh, the state government's top official in charge of providing relief after natural disasters, told Reuters that about 4000 to 5000 houses had been flooded.

District officials said the surging sea had affected 12,000 people in the Trivandrum district on the southern tip of India.

Over 15 fishermen were injured in the Vizhinjam harbour area near Trivandrum as they tried to hold on to their boats.

Authorities have set up 12 relief camps to provide food, water and medical aid to people in Trivandrum and called on firemen to pump out water from residential areas.

But officials reassured people that the rising water was traditional for the time of year and that the coast was safe.

"There's no danger of the sea being rough and washing away people, and as such there's no threat to life," Tinku Biswal, administrator of the district, told Reuters.

Scientists said the high water levels along the coastline were normal before the southwest monsoon rains strike the coast in June. Although, they said, the water was higher this year.

"There is nothing alarming about this," said Moideenkhan Baba, director of the Centre for Earth Science Studies in Trivandrum.

But people were jittery.

"Last night, we even used catamarans (fishing boats) on the flooded roads to ferry women and children away from the rushing waves, which had filled up their huts," said Poulose, a fisherman from Adimalathura, a coastal village.

On Saturday, many roads were still submerged in the district and some fishermen, complaining that relief operations were tardy, blocked the dry roads with their boats.

- REUTERS