Earthquake strikes the Indian Ocean

US officials issued a tsunami alarm in the area after announcing a 7.6-magnitude earthquake that occurred in the Indian Ocean on August 10.

Warnings are given to the countries of India, Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand and Bangladesh. However, this recommendation was lifted later. Geological Research Agency

The 7.6-magnitude earthquake occurred off the Indian island of Andaman.(Graphic: Reuters)

The US (USGS) said the earthquake was about 257km away from Blair port on Andaman island in India and 33km deep.

" There is a real threat to the tsunami ," William Leith, who was in charge of the USGS earthquake, said in an interview.

However, Mr. Leith said that the earthquake, though large but " many times smaller" than the December 2004 earthquake outside Indonesia's Sumatra island, caused the tsunami to destroy 230,000. people killed.

Also on June 10, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck Tokyo in Japan and surrounding areas.

According to Leith, earthquakes that occur far away from each other are often unrelated but it is too early to confirm that for the two disasters mentioned above and scientists are working on this issue.