Hyderabad, Aug 11 - The coastal region of Andhra Pradesh was rocked by an earthquake with its epicentre in the Bay of Bengal in the early hours of Tuesday, triggering panic among people and raising fears of a tsunami.

Several costal towns felt the quake for a few seconds at 1.25 a.m., under the impact of an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale that struck the Indian Ocean.

People ran out of their houses and spent the early morning hours on the roads even as authorities tried to allay apprehensions of a tsunami hitting the coast.

Revenue and Relief Minister D. Prasada Rao said there was no loss of life or property due to the temblor. He urged people not to panic as experts have ruled out the possibility of a tsunami.

The minister said the US Geological Survey had issued a Tsunami alert but later withdrew it.

There were reports of two house collapsing in Krishna district but it was yet to be confirmed whether they collapsed due to the tremors, said the minister.

High tidal waves along the Bay of Bengal coast raised fears of tsunami among fishermen and people living in the coastal belt. The Visakhapatnam Cyclone Warning Centre, however, said such tidal waves were common after a quake.

'I was sleeping when I heard cries of my parents and other family members.