Strong Earthquake Shakes Maldives Islands

July 16, 2003

NEW DELHI, India (AP) - A strong earthquake in the Indian Ocean shook buildings in the Maldives on Wednesday, but there was no immediate report of any damage or casualties in the low-lying island nation, officials said.

The Indian Meteorology Department in New Delhi said the quake's magnitude was 7.6.

A Maldives government official said the epicenter was about 90 miles off nation's the southernmost island.

No unusually high tides have been reported, the official said on condition of anonymity.

Earthquakes in the ocean can cause dangerous high tides or even tsunami in the Maldives, an archipelago of low-lying islands slowly sinking into the ocean, some 745 miles off the southern tip of India.

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