UPDATE - 5.7 magnitude earthquake jolts northwestern parts of Jammu and Kashmir

UPDATES WITH STATEMENT FROM OFFICIALS

By Nusrat Sidiq, Riyaz ul Khaliq, and Islamuddin Sajid

SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir/ISTANBUL/ISLAMABAD (AA) - A strong 5.7 magnitude earthquake on Monday struck the northwestern parts of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, according to the German Research Center for Geosciences.

It added that the tremor jolted the region at around 0621GMT.

The Indian Center for Seismology also confirmed that the tremor of a 5.7 magnitude quake jolted the Ladakh region, formerly part of Jammu and Kashmir.

According to the US Geological Survey, the earthquake struck some 50 kilometers (around 31 miles) north-northwest of Barishal, Pakistan.

“A 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck Pakistan’s northern region, with its epicenter located in northeast Kashmir at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.3 miles), approximately 80 kilometers (49 miles) from Gilgit,” the Pakistan Meteorological Department said.

- No damage reported so far

Tsweing Wangchuk, a local grocer from the district Leh in the Ladakh region, said the people strongly felt the tremor and rushed out of their homes.

"Many people gathered in the main town" of Leh, he told Anadolu.

Romil Singh Donk, Leh's top official, told Anadolu over the phone that the authorities were assessing the situation.

"Response teams are on the ground. So far, we have not received any information regarding casualties or injuries from any source or large-scale damage to public property," said Donk.

Mukhtar Ahmad, the director of the meteorological department in the region, told Anadolu that the earthquake occurred at around 11.51 am local time, with its epicenter in the Leh area.

“There was no report of any casualty or damage in the Kashmir region,” he said.