Educational institutions remain shut in Jammu after four earthquakes trigger panic among residents

The Jammu region on Wednesday saw four fresh earthquakes, triggering panic among residents in the area. The fresh tremors follow a 5.4 magnitude earthquake in the Doda region the day before. Officials said there were no reports so far of any loss of life or damage to property.

The fresh earthquakes have prompted the administration to shut down educational institutes in twin mountainous districts of Doda and Kishtwar.

Officials said there were no reports so far of any loss of life or damage to property.


The ADC appealed to the residents not to panic, as it could exacerbate the situation. Instead, he advised people to take precautionary measures to prevent any untoward incidents.

"In view of aftershocks, we have closed down all the schools in the district. There is nothing to panic about. People should live on ground floors. We expect aftershocks after a big earthquake," Doda Chief Education Officer (CEO)Purushottam Kumar said.

Similarly, officials in Kishtwar also shut down schools in the district as a precautionary measure.

In Kishtwar, a 3.3 magnitude quake was recorded at 8.29 am. Its epicentre was at a depth of five kilometers, according to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS).

Prior to that, tremors of magnitude 3.5 were recorded in Doda at 7.56 am and the epicenter was at a depth of 10 kilometers, data from the NCS showed.

Two more earthquakes were recorded in the early hours of the day as well.

At 2.20 am, a 4.3 magnitude quake was recorded in the Doda district at a depth of 10 kilometers, according to the data.

The other quake, which had a magnitude of 2.8, occurred 74 kilometers east of Katra in Reasi district at 2.43 am, according to the NCS. Its epicentre lay at a depth of five kilometres.

The four fresh earthquakes hit a day after high-intensity tremors jolted the Doda district.

Tuesday's quake damaged several buildings in the twin mountainous districts of Doda and Kishtwar. Five people, including two schoolchildren, suffered injuries, while schools were shut as a precautionary measure by the administration.

The earthquake was widely felt in the Jammu and Kashmir region and neighbouring states. As per the NCS, an analysis of the past five years shows minor earthquakes in the close vicinity of the Doda region are usual seismic activity.

With inputs from PTI