PORT BLAIR – A moderate earthquake struck north of India's remote Andaman Islands early Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The 5.4-magnitude quake hit at 3:35 a.m. (2135 GMT Monday) at a depth of 32 kilometers (21 miles).

The quake's epicenter was 266 km (124 miles) north of Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, an Indian territory which lies in the Bay of Bengal, the USGS said.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties and no tsunami warning was immediately issued.

A huge 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck off the archipelago in August, triggering panic as people fled their homes amid initial warnings of a possible tsunami.

The Andamans were also badly hit by the 2004 Asian tsunami, which was triggered by an earthquake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra that sent giant waves crashing into countries around the Indian Ocean.

The Andaman Sea area witnesses frequent earthquakes caused by the meeting of the Indian plate with the Burmese microplate along an area known as the Andaman trench.