Earthquake rocks J&K, no damage

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, September 28

A moderate earthquake hit the union territory this morning. Even as no damage was reported, it was the eighth earthquake to have rocked J&K and Ladakh during the past one week.

As per the Meteorological Department, an earthquake of magnitude 4.2 on the Richter scale, having latitude 33.22 N and longitude 75.82 E and depth of five km, hit the region at 10.42 am on Monday.

Earlier on September 22, an earthquake of magnitude 3.6 on the Richter scale had hit the UT at 9:40 pm. The epicentre of the earthquake, as per the Meteorological Department, was Srinagar and had therefore caused widespread panic in the city.

Later on September 22, an earthquake of magnitude 5.4 on the Richter scale, having a depth of 10 km, hit the Ladakh region. The earthquake was followed by three aftershocks on September 23 from the extreme northeast of Ladakh, close to the India-Tibet border.

On September 26, an earthquake of magnitude 4.8 on the Richter scale hit J&K that was followed by an earthquake of magnitude 5.1 on the Richter scale in Ladakh yesterday.

J&K and Ladakh are highly vulnerable seismological regions and earthquakes in the past have caused a lot of damage.

A devastating earthquake, measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, had hit the Valley in October 2005, in which over 80,000 people were killed on the both sides of the Line of Control (LoC).