Tremor felt in Galle, Matara, Colombo: DMC

The tremor of the 5.4 magnitude earthquake which struck the North Indian Ocean last morning was felt by the people in Galle, Matara and Colombo districts, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror, DMC Assistant Director Janaka Handunpathiraja said the earthquake shook the North Indian Ocean at 2.34 am yesterday at a depth of 10 km from the surface and there was no apparent Tsunami threat to the country.

The location was identified as 5.14 Latitude North and 83.48 Longitude East near South-East coast of Sri Lanka in the North Indian Ocean, he said.

It was reported that the trimmer of the earthquake was felt for the people in Galle, Matara and Colombo districts.

The coastal areas of Sri Lanka were declared as safe and the public were informed about this after consulting relevant national and international agencies.

“There were no reports of aftershocks felt in the area. The DMC will make the public aware of any aftershocks that could trigger Tsunami threat,” he said.

Mr. Handunpathiraja requested people not to be panicked by rumours circulating among the people and requested to follow media announcements when needed. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)