Mild Earthquake Rattles Bay of Bengal, Felt Along Andhra Coast
An earthquake of magnitude 4.5 on the Richter scale struck the Bay of Bengal in the early hours of Sunday, July 12, 2026, according to data from the National Center for Seismology (NCS).
The quake occurred at 05:05:46 IST at a depth of 10 km, with its epicentre located at 16.805° N, 84.381° E, the NCS said. The event has been classified as “Reviewed” by the agency.
The epicentre was approximately 227 km east of Kakinada and 275 km east of Rajahmundry, both in Andhra Pradesh, placing the quake well offshore in the Bay of Bengal. It was also recorded at distances of 282 km south of Berhampur and 367 km south-southwest of Puri in Odisha, and 355 km southeast of Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh.
Residents in Visakhapatnam, southwest of the epicentre, took to social media platforms including X and Reddit shortly after the quake, with several users confirming they had felt mild tremors around the time of the event. Tremors were reported in areas including MVP Colony, Pedawaltair, Gajuwaka, Yendada and Arilova, lasting a few seconds. No damage or injury has been reported.
The Bay of Bengal is occasionally subject to low to moderate seismic activity due to tectonic movements along the Indian plate boundary. The NCS continues to monitor the region.
