On Sunday morning, for at least 25 people on the Manginapudi beach near the port city of Machilipatnam on the south Andhra coast a holy dip ended in a watery grave.

About 300 people had gathered at the beach to take a holy dip on the eve of the full moon day in the Hindu holy month of Margasirsa when the tsunami struck.

Rescue workers and locals recovered as many as 25 bodies, but the authorities fear the toll could be higher, as many people have been reported missing.

While most of them had finished the holy bath, there were still scores of people taking the dip, when the strong wave hit them like a bolt from the blue.

"Several dozen people, including children, elderly persons, men and women, were caught in the high tide. They could not even run away. They were swept off their feet and washed into the sea by the stormy waves triggered by the earthquake," a district official said.

District Collector Prabhakar Reddy faced hostile crowds when he rushed to the spot. The people complained that relief and rescue operations were not organised in time.

Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy visited the affected areas in the evening and announced an ex gratia of Rs one lakh to each of the bereaved families. He also announced financial assistance for the injured.

He said the Coast Guard had mounted search operations to trace missing fishermen.