India, Jan. 9 -- A moderate earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale jolted parts of the Kashmir region in the early hours of Friday, triggering brief tremors across several areas of Jammu and Kashmir, including Srinagar. The quake was felt around 2.45 a.m., waking up many residents from their sleep.

According to seismic data, the earthquake struck at 2:14 a.m. with its epicentre located about 61 kilometres from Murghab in the Gorno-Badakhshan region of eastern Tajikistan. The tremor originated at a depth of nearly 140 kilometres below the surface, which reduced its impact despite being felt across a wide region. Officials said mild to moderate tremors were reported from multiple districts, though there were no immediate reports of...