Srinagar, Nov 08 (HS): Two mild earthquakes struck North Kashmir’s Baramulla district early on Sunday, the National Center for Seismology (NCS) said. No loss of life or damage was reported.

According to the NCS, the first quake, of magnitude 3.1, occurred at 2:47 am at a depth of 5 km. Its epicentre was at 34.306 degrees North latitude and 74.310 degrees East longitude in Baramulla district.

A second quake, of magnitude 3.3, followed at 5:23 am. The NCS recorded it at a depth of 20 km, with its epicentre at 34.261 degrees North and 74.155 degrees East, also in Baramulla.

The tremors came days after a magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck China’s Xinjiang region near the Ladakh border on Thursday night. That quake caused mild tremors in several parts of the Kashmir Valley.

Kashmir lies in one of India’s most earthquake-prone regions. Jammu and Kashmir fell predominantly under Seismic Zone V, the highest risk category in India’s earlier seismic zoning map. The zone denotes a very high risk of severe shaking and structural damage.

Experts have long warned that the Himalayan belt, including the Kashmir Valley, can produce large earthquakes. Even moderate shaking could cause heavy damage in densely populated towns, given the region’s vulnerable buildings.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Zahoor Hussain Bhat