Earthquake of magnitude 5.3 hits Pakistan, Kashmir

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake shook parts of Pakistan and the Himalayan region of Kashmir early Tuesday, panicking residents. 

There were no immediate reports of damage, officials said. The epicentre of the quake was in southwestern Kashmir, a predominantly Muslim region that is divided between neighbouring India and Pakistan, both of which claim it in its entirety. 

According to the National Seismic Monitoring Centre in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, the depth of the tremors was 20 kilometers (12 miles). 

Shaking was felt across much of Pakistan, including Islamabad, some areas in the eastern Punjab northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces bordering Afghanistan. A magnitude 7.6 quake in 2005 killed thousands of people in Pakistan and Kashmir.