11 August,2009 07:50 AM IST | | Agencies
A great intensity earthquake of 7.6 magnitude on the Richter scale struck off the Andaman and Nicobar islands late last night, Indian Meteorological Department said. However, no casualty has been reported so far.
The quake hit the island at 1.26 am about 265 km north of Port Blair, the IMD said. Tremors were also felt at several places in Chennai.
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The residents of Anna Nagar, Mylapore, Besant Nagar and Nungambakkam areas felt the tremors. Complaints of cracks in the houses were also received from a few places.
A tsunami watch was called for India, Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand and Bangladesh.
The earthquake's focus was about 20 miles below the Earth's surface.
In general, earthquakes centered closer to the Earth's surface produce stronger shaking and can cause more damage than those further underground.
Tokyo quake
Meanwhile, another powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.6 hit Tokyo and nearby areas 12 minutes after the Indian Ocean quake, halting trains and forcing two nuclear reactors to be shut down for safety checks.
