Port Blair, Dec. 28. (PTI): Aftershocks continued to rock the Andaman and Nicobar islands today where 3,000 people were killed and an equal number still missing after tsunami waves triggered by a massive undersea quake off Sumatra in Indonesia on Sunday hit the archipelago.

DIG Police, Andaman and Nicobar, A N Basudev Rao, told PTI here that the island received a series of aftershocks since last midnight.

Residents rushed out of their dwellings to open areas at 12.45 p.m. and again at 4 a.m. today fearing a repeat of Sunday's catastrophe.

Seawater was also on the rise in Little Andaman even as relief and rescue operations were on in full swing in the affected areas, including the worst hit Car Nicobar.

Quoting reports from Little Andaman, Rao said that 10,000 people have taken shelter atop a hill in the jungles in that area.

At least 3,000 people were killed and another 3,000 were missing from all over the island, the DIG said.

Majority of the affected were from Car Nicobar and Nancowrie group of islands, he said. Full contact was yet to be established with the Nancowrie islands, he said.

Meanwhile, 152 tribals were rescued from Katchall in Nancowrie and taken to Camorta, while another 40 people were rescued in Kondul, he said.

The island administration was facing a major problem in the disposal of bodies as they had to be collected from jungles and far-flung areas, he added.

Shortage of food

Meanwhile, hotels are refusing to book guests pleading helplessness to provide services.

Journalists arriving here to cover the aftermath of the destruction were facing hardships in getting accommodation.

Hotels were not being able to serve enough food because of the non-availability of cooking gas.

Electric supply had also become irregular on the island and water was scarce due to the damaged water pipes.

Mineral water bottles were still available in the market and people were stocking them.

Cargo aircraft were making continuous sorties to Nicobar with relief material, the DIG said. Doctors and engineers were also sent to the affected areas.

Four ships were sent to Nicobar but two of them could not anchor yesterday as the sea was very rough and jetties were in bad shape, the DIG said.

Six flights will be operated from Kolkata and three from Chennai to evacuate the stranded tourists, he said.

Aftershocks in some areas of Chennai too

Residents in some areas in the city today claimed that they had experienced tremors, but the Indian Metereological Department (IMD) here said they were "only aftershocks".

IMD Deputy Director General S Sridharan said a number of "aftershocks had been recorded here and such aftershocks will continue for some more days".

The sea was "moderate to rough" during the aftershocks, the waves rose to a height of upto 2.5 metres, he said.

On Monday, IMD had issued a caution that aftershocks were likely to occur as about 15 to 20 'moderate intensity" earthquakes were experienced from the night of December 26 and yesterday at Nicobar Islands and Sumatra in Indonesia.

Issuing a 'general caution' to people, asking them not to venture into low-lying places in coastal areas for some more days, the IMD said people were also being advised 'not to occupy buildings which are partially damaged or poorly constructed'.