Visakhapatnam, Nov 4 (IANS) Visakhapatnam and Alluri Sitharamaraju districts of Andhra Pradesh were jolted by a mild earthquake on Tuesday.

An earthquake of magnitude 3.7 struck the Alluri district in north coastal Andhra early Tuesday morning, officials said.

The tremors triggered panic among residents in some areas. People ran out of their houses on hearing a loud sound. However, there were no reports of any casualties or damage.

The tremors were experienced in Visakhapatnam from 4.16 a.m. to 4.20 a.m.

Tremors were felt in several parts of Visakhapatnam city and its outskirts, including Arilova, Adivivaram, Madhavadhara, Akkayyapalem, HB Colony, Allipuram, Endada, Bheemili, Simhachalam, and Pendurthi areas.

According to the National Center of Seismology, the epicentre of the earthquake was at G. Madugula in Alluri Sitharamaraju district at a depth of 10 km. The epicentre was 110 km from the port city of Visakhapatnam.

Experts described it as a shallow earthquake with an intensity of 3.7 on the Richter scale. They said there was no need for people to be worried as the tremors were mild due to structural adjustments. They pointed out that the region is considered tectonically stable.

According to the National Center for Seismology, the earthquake of 4.7 magnitude was felt in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, China and Bhutan early Tuesday. Its epicentre was four km from Shigaste in Tibet.

On December 4, 2024, parts of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh were jolted by an earthquake of 5.3 magnitude. Medaram in the Mulugu district of Telangana was the epicentre.

The intensity of tremors was high in districts along the banks of the Godavari River in both Telugu states. This was the second earthquake of over 5 magnitude on the Richter Scale in the region in the last 55 years.

The region had experienced an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7 on April 13, 1969, with Bhadrachalam as the epicentre.

According to scientists, both earthquakes were linked to the Godavari rift valley, which is a fault zone.

–IANS

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