A powerful jolt rippled across West Bengal and several northeastern states on Friday morning after a 5.7-magnitude earthquake struck Bangladesh’s Narsingdi district. The National Centre for Seismology recorded the quake at 10:08 am, locating the epicentre about 13 km south-southwest of Narsingdi at a shallow depth of 10 km.
Strong Quake Across Multiple Cities
The tremors were felt sharply in Kolkata, Guwahati, Agartala, and Shillong, where surprised residents rushed outdoors as a precaution. Ceiling lights, hanging fixtures and household objects were seen swaying, with videos rapidly making their way across social media platforms.
Despite the widespread shaking, officials confirmed that there were no immediate reports of injuries or structural damage anywhere in the affected region.
Why Tremors Felt Intense In Kolkata
Seismologists explained that the quake’s shallow depth amplified the impact across eastern India. Shallow earthquakes send seismic energy upward with greater force, causing brief but noticeable shaking even at moderate magnitudes, as per a report on Ecoomic Times. Kolkata and many northeastern cities lie close to Bangladesh’s network of active fault lines, which makes them especially sensitive to quakes occurring in the neighbouring country.
The US Geological Survey also assessed the event as a 5.7-magnitude shallow quake, reinforcing why the tremors seemed stronger than expected.
A Region Long Marked By Seismic Activity
The Bengal-Bangladesh-Northeast corridor sits atop a complex tectonic landscape where the Indian, Eurasian and Burma plates collide. While the Indian plate drifts northeast at roughly 6 cm a year, the Eurasian plate moves north at about 2 cm annually, creating immense geological stress.
Major fault systems — including the Bogura, Tripura, Dauki and Assam faults, along with the Shillong Plateau — run through the region. These features place Bangladesh and adjoining parts of India within 13 identified earthquake-prone zones, making episodes of ground shaking a recurrent hazard.
Authorities are continuing to monitor the situation, though no aftershocks have been reported so far.
