Two quakes hit Andamans

PORT BLAIR/ CHENNAI: Two successive intense earthquakes originating below the sea shook the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Friday evening and tremors were felt in Chennai but authorities ruled out any tsunami scare in the southern coast.
    
The temblors measuring 6.7 and 6.1 on the Richter scale hit the region at around 5:10 PM and 6:38 PM respectively, triggering panic among residents.
    
The Disaster management Control Room here said that the epicentre of the quakes was located close to the island, about 115 km northeast of Port Blair and 45 km below the sea.
  
"As such there is no tsunami warning," R V Sharma, Deputy Director General, Regional Met Centre in Chennai, said.
    
Its tremors were experienced in parts of Chennai too where employees ran out of their office housed in a multi-storeyed building after experiencing the shocks, police
said.
    
"However, there are chances for more tremors and aftershocks," he said, adding the Met Centre was closely monitoring the situation. He asked people not to panic following the reports of tremors.
    
There was no immediate report of loss of life or damage to property.
    
The tremor reminded the residents of the  devastation caused by Tsunami on December 26, 2004.