Despite the strong tremor that originated in the central Asian nation of Tajikistan, authorities in the northern states of India said there were no initial reports of critical damage to buildings and infrastructure or even human casualties.
The strong quake, according to the U.S Geological Survey, measured at Magnitude 5.9 and was located 35 km (55 miles) west of Tajikistan.
The quake struck as most people in India’s northern states, including Pakistan and Afghanistan were about to go to sleep Friday.
Officials from the National Disaster Management Authority in New Delhi said that although there were no noted destruction in buildings and other structures, they will conduct a thorough examination of physical damage like cracks in sensitive infrastructure such as dams, bridges or power plants.
Witnesses noted that the tremor lasted for quite a while, which forced people to rush outside of their homes, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and New Delhi.
