Earthquake of 5.4 magnitude recorded in Andaman Sea: Seismology centre

An earthquake of 5.4 magnitude was recorded in the Andaman Sea on Sunday, the National Center for Seismology said.

The tremors were felt in parts of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, but there was no immediate report of any loss of life or damage to property, an official said.

The earthquake took place at 12.06 pm, and the depth of the tremor was 90 km, the seismology centre said.

However, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Chief Secretary Dr Chandra Bhushan Kumar said, ''An earthquake of 5.7 magnitude occurred on November 9 around 12.08 pm. Tremors were felt at Mayabunder, Rangat and its adjoining areas in North and Middle Andaman. We have alerted all the agencies concerned, and standard protocols are in place.'' Several teams in the region are actively monitoring the seismic activity, he said. ''As precautionary measures, we have advised tourists and fishermen not to venture into the sea,'' he said. According to the District Emergency Operations Centre (DEOC) in Port Blair, the epicentre of the tremor was located at a depth of 96 kilometres north of Barren Island in the sea.

Barren Island, known for being the only active volcano in India, is nearly 140 km away from Port Blair by sea. This uninhabited island lies at the junction of the Indian and Burmese tectonic plates.

The Alpine-Himalayan seismic belt extending up to the Andaman-Nicobar island region is known to be one of the seismically active belts in the world, and earthquakes frequently hit the archipelago.