Medium intensity earthquake hits J&K

Srinagar, Jan 14: A medium intensity earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale hit Jammu and Kashmir on Friday although there was no immediate report of casualty or damage to property.

Officials of the disaster management authority said, “A medium intensity earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale occurred in J&K at 9:43 pm on Friday. The epicentre of the earthquake was in Hindukush Afghanistan region and its depth was 81 km inside the earth’s crust. The coordinates of the earthquake are latitude 36.3 degrees north and longitude 71.50 degrees east.”

Kashmir is seismologically situated in an earthquake-prone region. Past earthquakes have wrought havoc here. As many as 80,000 people were killed on the two sides of the Line of Control (LoC) by an earthquake that occurred on October 8, 2005. The magnitude of that earthquake was 7.6 on the Richter scale.