Srinagar, Jan 9 (IANS) An earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter Scale was felt in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, although the epicentre was in Tajikistan, said officials here, adding that there were no reports of any loss of life or damage to property.

Mukhtar Ahmad, Director of the local Meteorological (MeT) Department, told IANS that an earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale occurred at 2.44 a.m.

“The epicentre of the earthquake was in Tajikistan, and it occurred 110 km inside the earth’s crust. Its coordinates were latitude 38.26 degrees north and longitude 73.42 degrees east. The tremors were felt in J&K, although no casualty or damage to property has been reported from anywhere so far,” the MeT department director said.

People living in some parts of Kashmir’s Ganderbal district said they were awoken by the rattle of kitchen utensils when they noticed that an earthquake had occurred.

Kashmir is seismologically situated in an earthquake-prone region. Temblors have wrought havoc here in the past.

On October 8, 2005, an earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale occurred at 8.50 a.m. with its epicentre 19 km north-east of Muzaffarabad town of Pakistan occupied Kashmir.

More than 80,000 people were killed in that earthquake, while the town of Muzaffarabad was completely flattened. Thousands of structures in J&K sustained damage in that earthquake, and the aftershocks continued for nearly a month.

Kashmir has an unenviable history of suffering devastation from earthquakes in the past.

The 1885 earthquake, also known as the Baramulla earthquake, occurred on May 30 in Srinagar. It had an estimated moment magnitude of 6.3 – 6.8. At least 3,081 people died, and severe damage was caused by the tremor

The Kashmir Valley has witnessed larger magnitude earthquakes in the past, including a 7.6 magnitude earthquake in 1555, a 7 magnitude in 1669, 7.5 magnitude in 1779, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake in 1885, etc., with devastating effects.

–IANS

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