Four medium-intensity earthquakes hit Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Three of the quakes of magnitude of more than five occurred within a span of nearly two hours. According to the NCS, an earthquake of 4.8 magnitude occurred at 10.31 am and the epicentre was 250-km east of Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Four medium-intensity earthquakes hit the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Friday, the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) said. Three of the quakes of magnitude of more than five occurred within a span of nearly two hours.

According to the NCS, an earthquake of 4.8 magnitude occurred at 10.31 am and the epicentre was 250-km east of Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The depth of the earthquake was 10 km, it said. Another quake of 5.1 magnitude hit the archipelago 6.59 pm at a depth of 62 kilometres. The third earthquake of 5.6 magnitude occurred at 7.33 pm at a depth of 10 km, the NCS said. The fourth quake of 5 magnitude occurred at 8.12 pm, it said.

Meanwhile, an earthquake of 4.2 magnitude also occurred in Mizoram's Champhai district at 3.56 pm, the NCS said. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a high-seismic zone and is prone to earthquakes.

J L Gautam, Head (Operations) of the NCS, said it is not unusual for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to witness high tremors in a short span. Last year, 50 tremors were recorded in a span of 2-3 days, he added.