5.5-magnitude earthquake strikes Andaman Islands; no casualty, property loss reported

An earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale hit Andaman Islands on Friday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the quake occurred 165 kilometres south west of Port Blair.The earthquake occurred at 4.19 pm and lasted for 27 seconds, the IMD said."The epicentre of the quake was in Andaman Islands at a depth of 10 kilometres. No casualties or property loss have been reported so far," an official told IANS. Further details are awaited.On 5 July, an earthquake of 5.2 magnitude had hit Andaman Islands region at around 2:05 am. On 4 July, the region was struck by a quake of 4.5 magnitude.With inputs from agencies