A deafening sound that seemed to have been caused by an explosion, but the origin and cause of which is as yet unknown, rocked a 40 sq. km. area and created panic among residents in Dindigul district on Saturday morning. People ran out into the streets in several places and stayed there, gripped by fear.
The walls of several houses in Dindigul town and surrounding areas shook when the event occurred. The intensity was especially high in Vedasandur and villages near it, which experienced tremors. Residents of Oddanchatram, Kannivadi, Chatrapatti, Reddiyarchatram and Chatrapatti too heard the blast.
However, the source of the sound remains a mystery. “We had heard a similar sound last year too. At that time, research on minerals was being carried out in villages near the Karur-Dindigul border,” some people told The Hindu .
Scientists at the Kodaikanal Observatory ruled out the possibility of an earthquake. “The reported deafening sound heard by people in Vedasandur, Dindigul and Vadamadurai has no connection with an earthquake. We record tremors and not sound. Moreover, vibrations continue for 2-3 days after an earthquake, till tectonic plates settle to their original position. An inference can be reached only after inspection,” Nagendran, a scientist, said.
Senior scientist Kumaravel, too, stated that nothing had been recorded on the Richter chart at the Observatory.
Dindigul Collector T.G. Vinay told mediapersons that the administration could not confirm the location from which the sound originated. “We have not received any complaints or information about damage owing to this sound so far. People need not panic. Minerals Department officials are enquiring into the incident,” he said.
