Shri Nagar, January 9 – Jammu and Kashmir experienced tremors on Friday, with a magnitude of 5.3 recorded on the Richter scale. The epicenter of the earthquake was located in Tajikistan, and there have been no reports of damage or casualties so far.
According to Mukhtar Ahmad, Director of the local meteorological department, the earthquake struck at 2:44 AM on Thursday. The quake originated 110 kilometers beneath the Earth’s surface, with coordinates at 38.26 degrees north latitude and 73.42 degrees east longitude.
Residents in some areas of Gandarbal district reported being awakened by the clattering of kitchen utensils, realizing that an earthquake had occurred.
Jammu and Kashmir is situated in a seismically active region, having previously faced devastating earthquakes. The earthquake on October 8, 2005, which measured 7.6 on the Richter scale, had its epicenter 19 kilometers northeast of Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. That earthquake resulted in over 80,000 fatalities and extensive destruction in Muzaffarabad and other parts of Jammu and Kashmir.
The region has a history of seismic activity, with significant earthquakes recorded in 1555 (magnitude 7.6), 1669 (magnitude 7), 1779 (magnitude 7.5), and 1885 (magnitude 7.5), all causing considerable damage. The 1885 earthquake, known as the Baramulla earthquake, occurred on May 30 in Srinagar, with an estimated magnitude of 6.3 to 6.8, resulting in at least 3,081 deaths and significant destruction.