• Indian authorities say no damage or loss of life reported in region

SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir/ISTANBUL/ISLAMABAD

A strong 5.7 magnitude earthquake on Monday struck northwestern parts of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, also killing one person in northern Pakistan, in the Gilgit Baltistan region.

The German Research Center for Geosciences said that the tremor jolted the region at around 0621GMT.

The Indian Center for Seismology also confirmed that a 5.7 tremor 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.

According to Pakistani daily Express Tribune, the earthquake led to the destruction of multiple mud houses, and landslides obstructed the Karakoram Highway, halting travel between Pakistan and China.

Damage was observed in the Gilgit, Hunza, Nagar, and Ghizer areas with one fatality, and two injuries in the Badswat area of Ghizer, it added.

Response teams on the ground

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

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

Romil Singh Donk, Leh's top official, earlier Monday told Anadolu over the phone that authorities were assessing the situation in the Indian-administered region.

"Response teams are on the ground. So far, we haven’t gotten any information on casualties or injuries from any source or large-scale damage to public property," said Donk.

Mukhtar Ahmad, the meteorology chief in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, told Anadolu that the quake took place at around 11.51 am local time, with its epicenter in Leh.

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