Major earthquake jolts Bangladesh, centered in Nicobar Islands

December 26, 2004

Nicobar Islands - A magnitude 7.3 earthquake occurred at 04:21 UTC in the Indian region near Bangladesh.

Seismologists at USGS have indicated that this earthquake is an aftershock of the 9.0 earthquake which had occurred just a few hours earlier, 305 km (190 miles) distant, in the Indian Ocean near Sumatra, Indonesia.

The Bangladesh Meteorological Department issued a statement that the quake had struck Chittagong, a southern port that is the second largest city in Bangladesh.

Quake characteristics
The hypocenter was measured at 6.901°N, 92.952°E, some 130 kilometres south by southwest of Misha, Nicobar Islands, at a depth of 10km (6.2 miles).