Port Blair, December 23
A moderate earthquake of 5.9 on the Richter scale jolted Andaman and Nicobar Islands early this morning, creating a flutter among the islanders, who ran out of their houses in panic. The earthquake lasted for nearly 30 seconds.
The tsunami, which was triggered by a mega quake in December 2004, had killed nearly 3500 persons in this remote archipelago and left haunting memories for all.
''People came running out of their houses, as the epicentre was close to our islands. We had probably felt it more than the
others. People became panic stricken,'' Paritosh Halder, a grassroots leader in Hut Bay, said.
The quake hit at 1:20 a.m. The epicentre was near Hut Bay, 116 km south of the capital Port Blair.
“We were concerned about the people here and were in touch with the local administration to know if there was any tsunami warning, but everything was normal,” said C.Palani Swami, Pradhan of Hut Bay village.
— UNI
