Mumbai: An earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale shook the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and parts of Chennai at around 1700 hours on Friday, triggering panic and fears of another wave of tsunami in the Indian Ocean islands.

The undersea quake, with its epicenter near Andaman and Nicobar Islands, lasted a few seconds and rocked several parts of Chennai, including the busy T Nagar, Nugambakkam and Koyambedu areas, the meteorological office said.

Residents ran out of their homes as the powerful jolt rattled buildings, already weakened by a series of earthquakes that have hit the Andamans since the tsunami, the US Geological Survey said.

The epicenter of the quake was 115 km southwest of capital Port Blair, the USGS said. There were no immediate reports of any causality.

The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, however, said that "a destructive widespread tsunami threat does not exist based on historical earthquake and tsunami data."

In Chennai, employees working in a multi-storeyed building in Venkatnarayana Road in T Nagar rushed out of office as they experienced the tremor, police said.

However, there is no immediate report about any loss of life or property due to the quake.

The Indian Navy ordered its ships not to approach Andaman shores until an all-clear was sounded by the local military command.