Srinagar: A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.6 on the Richter scale occurred on Tuesday night in Jammu and Kashmir, triggering panic among the people who rushed outside their homes and called their loved ones to enquire about their wellbeing.
The high-intensity earthquake occurred 22:10:27IST. The earthquake was at the latitude 36.09 degrees north and longitude 71.35 degrees east, a meteorological department official here told GNS. The epicenter was Hindu Kush Region, he said.
There was no immediate report of any damage in the earthquake which caused panic among the people who rushed out of their houses.
Initial reports said the tremors were felt in most parts of India, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, China, Afghanistan, and Kyrgyzstan.
According to the seismic zoning map, prepared by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), India has been divided into four zones viz. zone V, IV, III and II
Out of these zones, Zone V exhibits the highest seismic risk and zone II has the least.
All districts of Kashmir valley and Doda district fall in Seismic Zone-V, and the rest of the districts fall in Seismic Zone-IV.
In 2005, a massive quake jolted Jammu and Kashmir. The 7.6 quake caused devastation, mostly in frontier villages particularly Uri and Kupwara district. (GNS)
