The earthquake that shook Jammu and Kashmir [Images] on Saturday was the severest in the state in over 120 years, a senior officer of the weather office said.

Our records show that an earthquake of 7.0 magnitude was felt in the valley with epicentre at Sopore in Baramulla district of North Kashmir on May 30, 1885, Director Weather Office G K Mohantey told PTI in Srinagar [Images].

He said although Jammu and Kashmir usually witnessed moderate to severe earthquakes in the past as well, but Saturday's tremor was the severest.

Tell us your quake experience!

Mohantey said the earthquake had the magnitude of 7.4 on the richter scale and its epicentre was at a place near Muzaffarabad in Pakistan at latitude 30.6 degree north and longitude 73.0 degree east.

"I have never seen such an earthquake in my life," 80-year old Haji Ghulam [Images] Rasool Bhat, a Srinagar resident, said, adding, "Once in my childhood, I still remember, we had to sleep two days in the open as a series of tremors were felt. That was probably in late 1930s."

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A retired principal, G M Bandey, said this was the severest of tremors that he had experienced in his life.

Another tremor, although of much less intensity, rattled the valley in early 1940s causing massive damage particularly
in Badgam district of central Kashmir, Bandey said.