Light intensity earthquake jolts J&K's Doda

Jammu, Oct 13 (IANS) A light-intensity earthquake measuring 4 on the Richter scale occurred on Sunday in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district.

Data released by the National Center for Seismology said, “An earthquake measuring 4 on the Richter scale occurred at 6.14 a.m. in the district.

“The coordinates of the earthquake are latitude 32.95 degrees north and longitude 75.83 degrees east. It occurred 15 Km inside the earth’s crust,” said the officials here.

The authorities said no report of any casualty or damage to property has so far been reported from anywhere. However, reports of panic among the people were widespread.

Earthquakes have been occurring with different magnitudes in the Chenab Valley region of Jammu and Kashmir which includes, the Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban and Reasi districts. The frequency of these earthquakes has increased in the last five to seven years.

Earthquakes have wreaked havoc in the union territory in the past. Kashmir Valley is situated in a seismologically vulnerable region.

On October 8, 2005, at 8. 50 a.m., an earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale jolted Jammu and Kashmir. The epicentre of the 2005 earthquake was located 19 km northeast of Muzaffarabad town in Pakistan-occupied J&K (POJK).

The earthquake caused major destruction in northern Pakistan, northern India, and Afghanistan. The Muzaffarabad area was the worst hit and several villages there were totally destroyed.

At least 32,335 buildings collapsed in various cities in the Kashmir Valley, including Anantnag and Srinagar, Baramulla districts of J&K.

The official death toll was 79,000 in POJK and Pakistan’s NWFP, although other sources put it at 86,000, with the number of injured estimated at more than 69,000. At least 1,350 people were killed and 6,266 injured in Jammu and Kashmir and the tremors were felt at a distance of up to 1,000 km away as far away as Delhi.

--IANS

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