India-controlled Kashmir hit by a 5.4 magnitude earthquake, no damage reported, officials say

NEW DELHI (AP) — An earthquake struck the eastern India-controlled Kashmir region Tuesday, sending tremors throughout New Delhi and parts of northern India. The quake was also felt in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and Pakistan.

The quake had a 5.4 magnitude and its epicenter was in Doda, a small town in India-controlled Jammu and Kashmir, according to India’s National Center for Seismology. The quake was at a depth of 6 kilometers (3.7 miles).

In Pakistan, many people fled their homes and offices in the capital, Islamabad, and the city of Lahore.

Officials in both countries said there were no reports of immediate damage.

The region has a history of powerful earthquakes.

In 2005, a magnitude 7.6 quake in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir left more than 75,000 people dead.

Kashmir, a predominantly Muslim region, is divided between India and Pakistan but both claim it in its entirety. Most people in the Indian-held part resent the presence of hundreds of thousands of Indian troops and want independence or a merger with Pakistan.