An earthquake of moderate intensity hit Andaman Islands on Friday afternoon, authorities of the Indian Meteorological Department said in Kolkata. “The earthquake measured 5.4 on the Richter scale. Its epicentre was at latitude 10.8 degrees north,” the official said. The depth of the earthquake was measured as 10 km and there was no reports of any major damages.
‘No link between Nepal and Andaman’
Y. Mallikarjun reports from Hyderabad:
There is no connection between the Nepal earthquake and the temblor which hit Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Seismologists at the CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute described it as an “isolated event.” Pointing out that Andaman and Nicobar Islands was a seismically active region as it was located in a subduction zone where the Indian Plate was going underneath the Burmese Plate, R.K. Chadha, Chief Scientist and Seismologist, said these types of earthquakes keep occurring in that region. It could not be linked to the Nepal temblor, he said. Had there been a sudden spurt in seismic activity and if 10-15 earthquakes take place within a short span, one could look for some abnormality, he added.
