BREAKING NEWS: Strong Indian Ocean earthquake tremors felt in Maldives early Wednesday morning

MALE, July 16 (HNS) -- Maldives felt the tremors of a strong Indian Ocean earthquake early Wednesday morning around 0127 hrs local time. AFP news agency Wednesday quoted the French Strasbourg earthquake observatory as reporting that there was a strong earthquake in the Indian Ocean measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale, jolting the Carlsberg Ridge in the Indian Ocean. The epicentre of the earthquake was monitored around 1.7 degrees latitude south and 69.0 degrees longitude east, 945 kilometres (580 miles) southwest of Male', the capital of the Maldives, at 2027 hrs GMT, AFP said. US Geological Survey says that the earthquake measured 7.6 on the Richter scale, and that the epicentre of the quake was 10.0 kilometres below the ocean in the Carlsberg Ridge (see details and graphic at the USGS URL, http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/bulletin/neic_wgcd.html) Locals claimed that they felt the quake last for about five minutes. "I felt my chair shake, and my PC monitor vibrating when I was working at home on my computer terminal," said Mohamed Azim of Ma. Kekuri house. A person who lives on the fifth floor of a house in Maafannu ward said that he was jerked awake from sleep when his bed started to shake, and that when he checked his room, things kept on the cupboard were vibrating. Maldives' Department of Meteorology said that they have been receiving many calls from people claiming that buildings shook last night. "We have been receiving many such calls last night," said Abdulla Algeen, the deputy director of the Meteorology Department. Although Male' the capital island strongly felt the tremors of the earthquake, the tremors were most strongly felt in Maldives' southernmost four atolls of Gaafu Alifu, Gaafu Dhaalu, Fuvah Mulah and Addu, locals claim. Many residents of Addu atoll told Haveeru that they stayed outside their homes last night when they began to feel the tremors. So far no reports of damages or injuries have been reported.