According to the National Center for Seismology, an earthquake of magnitude 5.4 on the Richter scale rattled the Andaman Sea on Sunday, November 9, 2025. The tremors were felt in parts of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, but no casualties or damage to property have been reported so far.
The seismic event occurred at 12:06 p.m., with a depth of 90 kilometers, as confirmed from the seismology center. But according to Dr. Chandra Bhushan Kumar, Chief Secretary of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, around 12:08 p.m. on the same day, a 5.7 magnitude earthquake was felt in Mayabunder, Rangat, and other areas of North and Middle Andaman.
The authorities have opened emergency operation centers, and the region is being closely monitored from ensuring public safety. In view of this, it has been advised that tourists and fishermen stay away from the sea until further notice.
According to the District Emergency Operations Centre (DEOC) at Port Blair, the epicenter was located 96 km deep north of Barren Island in the Andaman Sea. Barren Island, where India’s only active volcano lies, lies about 140 km from Port Blair and rests on the interface of the Indian and Burmese tectonic plates.
This region of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands lies in the Alpine-Himalayan seismic belt; therefore, these are places of very frequent seismic activities. Earthquakes have taken place because this region is situated on an active tectonic-plate boundary.
The earthquake’s details were given by NCS in a bulletin, stating that the earthquakes’ magnitude was 5.4 in the Andaman Sea at coordinates 12.49 N, 93.83 E at a depth of 90 km. According to German Research Centre for Geosciences, this figure was recorded to be 6.07.
Each earthquake differs in nature. With a seismic event of Magnitude 4.1 and a focus at a depth of 10 km in Leh last week, there was no major damage due to either of the earthquakes. Meanwhile, officials continue to keep an eye on the situation and issue updates for the public wherever necessary.
As these areas witness ongoing seismic activities, abiding by official instructions and keeping oneself aware of sufficient safety measures become key to minimizing losses from such natural events. In any case, if you reside in an earthquake-prone zone, it is an absolute must for you to know all the emergency procedures and have a disaster preparedness plan in place for yourself as well as for the community.
