1st LD Writethru: Moderate quake hits India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands

A moderate quake, measuring 4.5-magnitude, hit India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands Friday, a senior disaster management official said.

There have been no immediate reports of casualty or damage to properties in the central government-controlled archipelago, he said.

"The tremors were felt on the Islands at 10:26 a.m. local time. But no tsunami alert has been issued," the official said.

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a group of islands at the juncture of the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, are known to be high seismic zone.

Last year, both the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea around the Islands was hit by 12 earthquakes, with almost all measuring 5-magnitude or more. Enditem