Tremors were felt in Chennai and Kakinada on Tuesday following an undersea earthquake in the Bay of Bengal, but there were no reports of damage to life or property.

The 5.1 magnitude quake in the Bay of Bengal was reported at 12.35 pm, the National Center for Seismology said.

The quake was at a depth of 10 km in the Bay of Bengal and was about 296 km south-south east of Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh and 320 km east north east of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it said.

Tremors were felt by residents of Chennai and Kakinada and nearby areas briefly.

Slight tremors were felt in Kakinada, Razole, Palakollu and Narsapuram towns in Andhra Pradesh following the 5.1 intensity earthquake on Tuesday afternoon.

In Kakinada, residents suddenly felt their ceiling fans shaking and things falling off their shelves. Some of them said it lasted just a couple of seconds and no damage happened.

In Chennai, the tremors were felt in some parts.

People living in areas like Adyar and neighbouring Thiruvanmiyur, besides Nanganallur said they felt mild tremors, with some Twitter users saying they could even see the furniture 'shaking'.