NEW DELHI, INDIA - A MODERATE 5.7-magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of India's Andaman islands in the Indian Ocean on Sunday, the US Geological Survey said.

The USGS said the epicentre of the quake, which hit at 1250 GMT (8.50pm Singapore time), was 143 kilometres south-west of Port Blair.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, the Press Trust of India agency reported.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre did not issue an alert after the quake, which struck at a shallow depth of 11 kilometres.