Thaindian News

Port Blair, Aug 11(IBNS) A major quake of magnitude 7.6 struck in the Indian Ocean off Andaman Islands early on Tuesday, but a tsunami alert for India, Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand and Bangladesh was later cancelled.

About two and half hours after the quake there were no reports of a tsunami from ocean rim countries or of any casualties from the tremor.

“We all ran out as fast as possible and have not gone back inside, fearing another quake. Everything was shaking, we are all very, very scared,” Subhasis Paul, who runs a provision store in Diglipur island in North Andaman, told Reuters by telephone.

The US Geological Survey said the quake, initially reported as a magnitude 7.7, struck at 1:55 a.m. (1955 GMT on Monday).

It was shallow, at a depth of 20.6 miles (33 km), and was centred 160 miles (260 km) north of Port Blair. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Center warned that there could be a destructive wave along coasts up to 1,000 km (600 miles) from the epicentre, but it later withdrew its warning.

“Sea level readings indicate that a significant tsunami was not generated,” it said in a statement.

An official at the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services said a tsunami warning had not been issued by his department.

“We have not issued a tsunami alert and are monitoring the water level changes in the region at the moment,” Ajay Kumar said by phone.

A 7.6 magnitude quake is classified by the USGS as a major earthquake and is capable of widespread, heavy damage. An even bigger quake in the Indian Ocean in 2004 caused a tsunami that killed some 228,000 people.