Bhutan hit by 5.6 magnitude earthquake, tremors felt across Northeast India

A 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck Bhutan late Sunday night, sending tremors across parts of Northeast India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and China, according to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ).

The earthquake struck at around 11:06 PM IST near Punakha, Bhutan. The magnitude of the earthquake was estimated to be 5.6 by the Android Earthquake Alerts System. The earthquake had an epicenter in Punakha, Bhutan, and a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles).

“People felt the tremors, many people came out of their houses as a precautionary measure,” a resident told Bhutan Times.

The epicentre was located at some 252 km from parts of Assam and the tremors were felt in several north-eastern states including Assam and Meghalaya.

The quake struck several parts of the Himalayan region, prompting some residents to evacuate buildings as a precaution. Several users on social media from North East India said they felt the tremors.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage and authorities were assessing the situation.

Bhutan is located within the seismically active Himalayan belt, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates continue to converge, making the region prone to frequent earthquakes. There was no immediate word on any further details of the quake's impact.

Bhutan lies in the active seismic zone of the Himalayas where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates are in constant collision, and it is this that causes most earthquakes in the country. The Indian plate is moving north and is slowly pushing its way under the Eurasian plate, creating enormous geological stress below the Earth’s surface. These pressures build until they suddenly release in earthquakes.

The Himalayas are still on the move and the region they cover – which includes Bhutan, Nepal, northern India and parts of Tibet – is one of the most seismically active regions in the world.