5.8 magnitude earthquake strikes Jammu and Kashmir, epicentre in Tajikistan

An earthquake measuring 5.8 on Richter scale struck Jammu and Kashmir at 7 am on Tuesday (June 16). This was the third earthquake to hit the union territory in three days.

According to officials, the epicentre of earthquake was in Tajikistan at a depth of around 100 Km. People living in most parts of the Kashmir Valley, including Srinagar, Kishtwar and Doda districts felt the tremors. Mild tremors were also felt in Jammu.

An earthquake of magnitude 3.6 hit Jammu and Kashmir on Monday (June 15) night too.

On Monday (June 15), an earthquake measuring 4.4 on the Richter Scale struck 83 km northwest (NW) of Gujarat’s Rajkot at 12:57 pm. Tremors were also felt in Bhachau region of Kutch. It is learnt that tremors were felt twice within five minutes leaving the residents in a state of panic with many rushing out of their homes to save their lives.

This was the second earthquake to struck Rajkot in less than 24 hours. An earthquake measuring 5.8 magnitudes on the Richter Scale struck 122 km north-northwest of Rajkot, Gujarat at 8:13 pm on Sunday.

Gujarat has witnessed three major earthquakes in the past with the most devastating in 2001, another in Anjar in 1956 and the third in 1918 in the Rann of Kutch. The earthquake that struck Gujarat on January 26, 2001, measured 6.9 on the Richter scale and lasted for a little over 100 seconds.