Hi

A tsunami watch has been issued across the Indian Ocean after a magnitude 7.6 earthquake, while a second tremor caused buildings to shake in Japan.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre put India, Burma, Indonesia, Thailand and Bangladesh on alert for a tsunami following the first quake off the Andaman Islands

It was 20.6 miles (33km) deep and was centred 163 miles (262km) north of Port Blair in the islands, which belong to India, the US Geological Survey reported.

Around 22 minutes later, a second earthquake, measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale, jolted eastern and central Japan.

It prompted a tsunami warning for waves of up to 50cm (20 inches) for parts of the Pacific coast, the country's meteorological agency said.

Houses in the capital Tokyo were rattled by the quake, while a nuclear power station in Hamaoka has closed two units for safety checks.

The epicentre of the earthquake was around 12 miles (20km) deep and 106 miles (170km) southwest of Tokyo.

Paul Caruso, a geophysicist from the US Geological Survey, told Sky News the two quakes were unlikely to be linked.

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Humm Just as I had finished reading an article about the Phuket Tsunami early warning buoy, saying its battery had run out and they cannot afford to replace it! Good Timing!!

TBWG

Covered here: Asian Tsunami alert issued