# 5.1 magnitude earthquake strikes Andaman and Nicobar Islands 2026-10-29T11:14:40+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 6 independent outlets A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 218 km north-northwest of Bamboo Flat in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Thursday (29 October 2026), according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). No reports of damage or casualties were immediately available from any source. Volcano Discovery reported the quake at a depth of 10 km at 3.19 pm local time (GMT +6:30), with moderate shaking near the epicentre 224 km northwest of Port Blair. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands lie in Seismic Zone V, classified as having very high earthquake risk. In February 2026, a magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck the Nicobar Islands, according to the National Centre for Seismology. No tsunami warning was reported following Thursday's tremor. ## Indian Opinion Analysis All six sources lead with the same USGS figure of magnitude 5.1 and the location 218 km north-northwest of Bamboo Flat, and none reports damage or casualties. News24online and India TV News add the earlier February 4.6 earthquake, while The Times of India and The Logical Indian keep coverage to a brief factual report. Volcano Discovery provides technical data and a map of nearby towns, framing it as an event of scientific interest rather than an alert. The consistent absence of any official response, tsunami warning, or damage reports across all outlets indicates that this is a minor seismic event in a region accustomed to such activity, not a developing crisis. ## Coverage Coverage: 6 sources, 6 neutral - news24online.com (neutral report) Wire-style factual report with earlier quake context - indiatvnews.com (neutral report) Straight report, adds other recent quakes nationwide - hindustantimes.com (neutral report) Wire report, pads with other Indian quakes - timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) Brief wire-style report, no added context - volcanodiscovery.com (neutral report) Scientific data focus, no damage or official info - thelogicalindian.com (neutral report) Straight report with zone-risk background This brief was synthesised by AI from the 6 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Update, 29 October 2026: this story now draws on 6 sources. Last updated 2026-10-29T11:44:04+00:00. Tags: Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bamboo Flat, National Center for Seismology, United States Geological Survey Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/magnitude-5-1-earthquake-hits-andaman-and-nicobar-islands/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/magnitude-5-1-earthquake-hits-andaman-and-nicobar-islands/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/