Moderate earthquake hits Kashmir, India

Officials say a moderately strong earthquake has hit a mountainous region in Kashmir, injuring at least nine people and damaging several buildings. The U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude-5.4 earthquake struck Wednesday and was centered near the border between Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh state to its south. Abdul Rashid Zargar, a local weather office official, says the quake damaged at least four buildings, including two schools, and injured seven students and two teachers. It also disrupted cell phone communications. The earthquake was also felt weakly in New Delhi and other parts of northern India, according to a report of the Associated Press.