Earthquake of magnitude 5.0 jolts Andaman islands

Port Blair, Apr 8: An earthquake measuring 5.0 on the Richter Scale hit Andaman Islands this morning. The epicentre of the earthquake was at a depth of around 10 kms from the surface. The quake hit the islands around 7.42 am on the morning.

No casualties, injuries or damage to property has been reported so far. The last jolt was reported on April 6 in Nicobar island. It was recorded 4.6 on the Richter scale.

This comes almost a week after nine medium intensity earthquakes, with a magnitude ranging from 4.7 to 5.2, hit the Andaman and Nicobar Islands April 1 morning, all in a span of two hours.

The first jolt with a magnitude of 4.9 occurred at 5.14 am followed by another jolt with a magnitude of 5 a couple of minutes later.

The Andaman and the Nicobar archipelago is prone to earthquakes and it is not unusual for the islands to witness more than two-three quakes a day.

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands lie in Zone V of seismicity. The Bureau of Indian Standards has grouped the country into four seismic zones, viz. Zone II, III, IV and V. Of these, Zone V is seismically the most active region, while Zone II is the least.