A massive earthquake, measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale was felt in Srinagar and other parts of North India at around 2.45 pm on Monday.
The quake had its epicentre in the Hindukush region of Afghanistan, said a statement from the government.
The quake was 196 km (120 miles) deep and centred 82 km southeast of Feyzabad in a remote area of Afghanistan in the Hindukush mountain range, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
Metro rail services in Delhi have been suspended for the time being as a precaution.
Former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah tweeted saying the electricity had been cut off in Srinagar after the tremors. "Electricity cutoff with the tremors in Srinagar. Praying it hasn't caused loss of life or too much damage anywhere.
An earlier USGS Report on Seismotectonics of the Himalaya and Vicinity says, "Seismicity in the Himalaya dominantly results from the continental collision of the India and Eurasia plates. Northward underthrusting of India beneath Eurasia generates numerous earthquakes and consequently makes this area one of the most seismically hazardous regions on Earth."

The world's strongest earthquakes since 1900

  • April 11, 2012 - A magnitude-8.6 quake off the west coast of northern Sumatra in Indonesia triggers tsunami warnings in more than two dozen nations.
  • March 11, 2011 - A magnitude-9.0 quake off the northeast coast of Japan triggers a tsunami, killing more than 18,000 people.
  • Feb. 27, 2010 - A magnitude-8.8 quake shakes Chile, generating a tsunami and killing 524 people.
  • Sept. 12, 2007 - A magnitude-8.5 quake near Sumatra in Indonesia kills at least 25 people.
  • March 28, 2005 - A magnitude-8.6 quake in northern Sumatra in Indonesia kills about 1,300 people.
  • Dec. 26, 2004 - A magnitude-9.1 quake in Indonesia triggers an Indian Ocean tsunami, killing 230,000 people in a dozen countries.
  • Feb. 4, 1965 - A magnitude-8.7 quake strikes Alaska’s Rat Islands, causing an 11-meter (35—foot) -high tsunami.
  • March 28, 1964 - A magnitude-9.2 quake in Prince William Sound, Alaska, kills 131 people, including 128 from a tsunami.
  • Oct. 13, 1963 - A magnitude-8.5 quake in the Kuril Islands triggers a tsunami.
  • May 22, 1960 - A magnitude-9.5 earthquake in southern Chile and ensuing tsunami kill at least 1,716 people.
  • March 9, 1957 - A magnitude-8.6 quake strikes the Andreanof Islands in Alaska triggers a 16-meter (52-foot) -high tsunami.
  • Nov. 4, 1952 - A magnitude-9.0 quake in Kamchatka in Russia’s Far East causes damage but no reported deaths despite setting off 9.1-meter (30-foot) waves in Hawaii.
  • Aug. 15, 1950 - A magnitude-8.6 earthquake in Tibet kills at least 780 people.
  • Feb.1 , 1938 - A magnitude-8.5 quake in Banda Sea, Indonesia, generates a small tsunami.
  • Feb. 3, 1923 - A magnitude-8.5 quake in Kamchatka in Russia’s Far East triggers a tsunami.
  • Nov. 11, 1922 - A magnitude-8.5 quake along the Chile—Argentina border triggers a tsunami that causes damage along Chile’s coast.
  • Jan. 31, 1906 - A magnitude—8.8 quake off the coast of Ecuador generates a tsunami that kills at least 500 people.