JAMMU, April 18 -- A 5.0 magnitude earthquake struck Afghanistan on Saturday morning, sending mild tremors across parts of Jammu and Kashmir, though no damage or casualties have been reported so far.

The quake occurred at 8:24 am and was felt in several areas of the Union Territory, causing brief panic among residents.

According to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), the earthquake originated in the Zaybak area of Afghanistan's Badakhshan region at a depth of 190 kilometres.

The epicentre was recorded at coordinates 36.5536degN and 70.9259degE, an EMSC spokesperson said.

Officials noted that the earthquake released energy estimated at 2 x 10^12 joules, equivalent to approximately 554 megawatt-hours or 477 tons of T...