Srinagar, February 02: A moderate-intensity earthquake with its epicentre in Budgam district jolted parts of the Kashmir Valley in the early hours of Monday, officials said.
The tremors were felt around 5:35 am, triggering brief panic as residents in several districts rushed out of their homes. The earthquake originated at a shallow depth of 10 km, with the epicentre near Budgam, according to data from the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), as reported by independent weather portal Kashmir Weather.
Initial ground assessments indicated no loss of life or major damage to infrastructure, officials said.
“The concerned departments are actively monitoring the situation. As per preliminary reports received so far, there have been no casualties or significant property damage reported from any district of Jammu and Kashmir,” a senior official from the State Disaster Management Authority said.
The 4.8-magnitude quake released seismic energy equivalent to around 239 tons of TNT. Areas closest to the epicentre included Charar-i-Sharief, Pulwama, Srinagar and Shopian.
Authorities have advised people to remain calm and refrain from spreading unverified information. Eyewitnesses said the shaking was strong but brief, lasting only a few seconds.
