INDIA ON MONDAY SAID THERE WAS NO TSUNAMI THREAT ON ITS EASTERN COAST AFTER AN EARLIER UNDERSEA EARTHQUAKE OFF THE INDONESIAN COAST, BUT ASKED COASTAL AUTHORITIES TO BE VIGILANT OVERNIGHT, REUTERS REPORTED. "WE HAVE NOT ISSUED A TSUNAMI ALERT BUT HAVE JUST ASKED THE (INDIAN) STATES TO KEEP AN EYE ON THE SITUATION," A SENIOR DISASTER MANAGEMENT OFFICIAL SAID. "WE ARE MONITORING THE SITUATION BUT ARE NOT EXPECTING ANY PROBLEMS," HE SAID. "THERE IS NO CHANGE IN THE SEA LEVEL IN THE INDIAN OCEAN." A TSUNAMI HIT THE INDONESIAN ISLAND OF JAVA EARLIER ON MONDAY, KILLING AROUND 40 PEOPLE AND RAISING CONCERNS THAT THE VULNERABLE ARCHIPELAGO OF ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR IN THE INDIAN OCEAN MAY ALSO BE HIT. "WE HAVEN'T CALLED BACK THE TSUNAMI WARNING, WE ARE GOING TO KEEP A VIGIL FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS," SENIOR OFFICIAL ANKITA MISHRA TOLD REUTERS FROM CAR NICOBAR ISLAND. "THANK GOD THERE WAS NO TSUNAMI." THOUSANDS WERE KILLED WHEN THE ARCHIPELAGO, CLOSER TO INDONESIA THAN MAINLAND INDIA, WAS HIT BY THE DECEMBER 2004 TSUNAMI, TRIGGERED BY A MASSIVE EARTHQUAKE. "POLICE ARE URGING EVERYONE IN COASTAL AREAS TO STAY AWAY FROM THE SEA. NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO GO TO THE HARBOUR," SAID ANIL ADHIKARI, A GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL IN CAR NICOBAR.
