Andaman jolted, tremors in states (Second Lead)

CHENNAI/NEW DELHI - A string of earthquakes jolted the Andaman and Nicobar Islands over a 12-hour period Sunday. The tremors were also felt in southern and eastern India.

There was some panic but no casualties or property damage anywhere, officials said. By early evening, life returned to normal in the islands.

The first quake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale took place 56 seconds past midnight Saturday, followed by a second tremor measuring 5.3 at 4.14 a.m.

Two more quakes measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale were reported at 11 a.m. and 11.56 a.m.

Tremors were also felt in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa, officials said.

“We did feel the quake. But life is normal here now. No property damage has been reported in Port Blair,” S. Jaikumaran Nair, chairman of the Port Blair Municipal Council, told IANS over phone from the Andamans.

In Chennai, in residential neighbourhoods such as Koyambedu, Thiruvanmiyur, Santhome and Royapettah, people came out of their homes and took shelter on the streets fearing the worse.

This is the second day time the Andaman islands experienced earthquakes after the 6.5 magnitude tremors of June 1.

The Hyderabad-based Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services told IANS over telephone that a ‘Tsunami Watch’ notice issued after the Sunday quake was withdrawn one and half hours later as there was no change in the sea water levels.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued a Regional Watch notice covering India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia. It later scaled it down to India alone.

–Indo Asian News Service