Moderate earthquake jolts India-controlled Kashmir

A moderate earthquake shook India-controlled Kashmir and its adjoining areas Thursday night, forcing people to run out of their houses, said local officials Friday.

According to the Disaster Management officials in Srinagar, the summer capital of India-controlled Kashmir, the earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale occurred at 11:14 p.m. local time.

"The tremors continued for 25 seconds, creating panic," said Mubashir Hussain, a Srinagar resident.

The epicenter of the earthquake was in Afghanistan's Hindu Kush region, at 36.5 degrees north latitude and 71.2 degrees east longitude, said an official at Disaster Management office in Srinagar.

So far, no loss of life or property has been reported from any part of the region, he said.

A strong earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale jolted major India-controlled Kashmir on Oct. 23.

Geologists say India-controlled Kashmir is located in a zone of high seismic activity.

Srinagar falls in Seismic Zone-V and other parts of India-controlled Kashmir in Seismic Zone IV.

A high intensity earthquake measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale with its epicenter in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir shook the region on Oct. 8, 2005 causing large-scale destruction, killing 80,000 people.