Pondicherry, Dec. 26 (PTI): At least 102 people were killed in the Union Territory of Pondicherry when tidal waves swept through coastal villages and adjoining districts, in the aftermath of a tremor this morning, Chief Minister N Rangasamy, said.

Talking to reporters at Pondicherry airport before leaving for Karaikal to see the impact of the damage, Rangasamy said Pondicherry accounted for 42 deaths while Karaikal, an enclave of the Union Territory in Tamil Nadu, sixty.

He described the damage caused by the tidal waves as extensive and devastating.

Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, is visiting Pondicherry tomorrow to make an assessment of the damage caused by the tidal waves, he said.