A moderate earthquake shook India-controlled Kashmir and its adjoining areas Sunday afternoon, forcing people to run out of their houses, said officials.

According to the Disaster Management officials in Srinagar, the summer capital of India-controlled Kashmir, the earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale occurred at 15:15 local time (12:45 GMT).

The epicenter of the earthquake was in Afghanistan's Hindu Kush region, located at 36.5 degrees north altitude and 71.2 degrees east longitude, said Aamir Ali, Coordinator Disaster Management office in Srinagar.

So far, no loss of life or property has been reported from any part of the region, he said.

Geologists say India-controlled Kashmir is located in a zone of high seismic activity, with Srinagar falling in Seismic Zone-V and other parts of India-controlled Kashmir in Seismic Zone IV.

A high intensity quake measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale with its epicenter in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir shook the region on October 8, 2005, causing large scale destruction killing over 80,000 people.

Source: Xinhua