Six injured, over 100 structures damaged in Jammu tremor

Six people were injured and over 100 structures damaged in Saturday's earthquake in the hilly Kishtwar district of Jammu region, as reports of damage started pouring in Sunday morning from inaccessible areas of the region.

An earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale struck Doda, Kishtwar districts Saturday morning.

The tremor was classified as "moderate" by the MET office.

Police in Jammu told IANS that six people including four troopers of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), one trooper of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and a civilian sustained injuries in the tremor. The injured have been shifted to hospital.

Two injured people with serious injuries have been shifted to Jammu for specialised treatment where doctors said both were out of danger.

Reports reaching here said over 50 percent of drinking water supply schemes in Kishtwar district were damaged in the earthquake and efforts are on to restore them.

A senior official of the public health engineering (PHE) department said it would take many days to restore the damaged water supply schemes as the tremor caused massive damage.

Electricity supply to Kishtwar town was also disrupted because of the earthquake, but officials said it has now been restored.

Many residents in Kishtwar spent the night under the sky as fears of aftershocks prevented them from venturing into their homes.

The district magistrate Kishtwar has ordered closure of all educational institutions for two days to ensure safety of children.

The hilly Doda, Bhaderwah, Kishtwar, Ramban districts of Jammu region -- known as the Chenab Valley -- have been witnessing periodic tremors for more than four months now.

Scientists have been blaming water storage dams of hydro power projects in the region for destabilising the equilibrium.