Moderate quake jolts Doda, no damage reported

A moderate intensity earthquake shook Bhaderwah valley and parts of Doda and Bhalessa in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district this morning, triggering panic among people.

The quake measuring 3.7 on the Richter scale struck at 6:31 AM, and was the second such tremor in over a fortnight, Met officials said.

The epicentre of the quake was 7 km south east of Bhadarwah, the officials said.

The tremor was also felt in adjoining areas of Bhaderwah valley, including parts of Doda, Bhalessa and Matmat.

Panic-stricken people rushed out of their homes in some areas of the picturesque valley in the early morning cold.

"We have been collecting information from all our police posts and also from local sources since morning, but as of now, there is no immediate report of any casualty or damage to property," said Bhaderwah SP Sargun Shukla.

People of Chenab valley have been apprehensive of tremors after a study by a group of US scientists published last year predicted that there is a possibility of major earthquake in J&K.

"We are apprehending big trouble as tremors of moderate and low intensity have become routine in Bhaderwah Valley for some time now.

"But surprisingly nobody from administration or any seismic expert seems to be remotely bothered to locate the exact cause of these local earthquakes," said a social worker, Imtiaz-Ur-Rehman Butt from Mohalla Sarafan, Bhaderwah.

A tremor measuring 4.3 on the Richter scale had hit the area on December 3.