Chennai, March 11: Panic gripped stretches in Kerala and Tamil Nadu as seawater rose and crashed on the coast on Friday, triggering fears of another tsunami, reports our special correspondent.

Residents of Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu were trapped as water surrounded their houses, while nearly 2,000 families in Kerala?s Ernakulam district left home when the seawater began to rise.

Kanyakumari district collector Sunil Paliwal said there was no damage to property or loss of life. Thursday being amavasya, the alternate rising and falling of waves ?is quite common?, he added.

However, the tsunami, which struck in December, had removed sand deposits at various places along the coast, causing ?depressions?, particularly in the estuaries, Paliwal said.

In Ernakulam district, seawater entered the coastal areas at 2 am and residents began moving out, police said. An hour later, the water level started receding but people continued their vigil. The water had entered through cracks in the sea wall.

Ernakulam district collector A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish said the distribution of free ration would be extended by a month in the tsunami-hit areas and construction of houses for the homeless would be expedited.