PORT BLAIR: An earthquake of 4.3 magnitude rocked Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the early hours of Thursday.
According to the National Center for Seismology (NCS), the tremors were felt around 4.17 am and the epicentre was located at a depth of 61 km in the sea in South Andaman District.
"Earthquake of 4.3 magnitude occurred on August 3, 2023, around 4.17 a m in Andaman and Nicobar Islands," NCS tweeted.
There was no immediate report of any loss of life or property, the secretary in the disaster management department of the union territory, A S P S Ravi Prakash told PTI.
"It was a minor tremor which was reported in the sea, 127 KM southwest of Port Blair.
As a precautionary measure, we have advised tourists and fishermen not to venture into the sea due to rough weather," he said.
Such tremors are very common in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which lie in seismically active zone V known as the Indian Ocean seismic belt.
The zone is located on the eastern edge of the Indian tectonic plate and is therefore prone to seismic activity due to the interactions of various tectonic plates in the area, the official said.
"Our teams spread across the region are actively monitoring the seismic activity. Anything which goes above 6 in magnitude will be of concern," Prakash said.
This is the third earthquake in Andaman and Nicobar Islands in a little under a month.
On Wednesday an earthquake of 5 magnitude was felt in the sea close to Nicobar district at around 5.40 am. About a month ago on July 5, an earthquake measuring 5.9 was reported around 12.53 am in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Its epicentre was 126 km southeast of Port Blair and it struck at a depth of 69 km from the surface in the sea between South Andaman and Nicobar District.
The Alpine-Himalayan seismic belt extending to Andaman and Nicobar Island region is known to be an active one globally, including the disastrous earthquake on December 26, 2004, which wreaked havoc in the Bay Islands.