Assam earthquake tremors felt across Siliguri, Kolkata
Times of India | 15 September 2025
Siliguri: Tremors from a moderate earthquake of magnitude 5.8, which occurred in Assam's Udalguri, were felt across Bengal. From Siliguri, which was less than 500 km away, to Kolkata, which was over 100 km away, the impact was noticeable.
Although there were four jolts, only the first two were felt in parts of Bengal bordering Assam and in Kolkata. The first jolt, with a magnitude of 5.8, occurred at 4.41 pm, followed by a second tremor of 3.1 magnitude at 4.58 pm on Sunday.
Merina Sharma, who works at a private firm in Siliguri, said that with memories of the 2015 Nepal quake still in their minds, they thought fresh earthquakes had hit Nepal. "We just began moving past the Nepal protests, and things were slowly returning to normalcy.
But this tremor was a grim reminder of the devastating earthquake of 2015," said Sharma.
"We were working when, around 4.41 pm, the chair that I was sitting on began to shake, and so did the ceiling fan. Since we were on the third floor, we could feel it distinctly. Though the tremors lasted only a few seconds, to me it felt like a full minute. I was just praying it would pass quickly," added Sharma.
Another resident from Darjeeling, Diwakar Pradhan, said the chilly afternoon in the Hills suddenly turned tense as people were seen running and shouting "bhuichalo, bhuichalo" (earthquake, earthquake). "I was out with my friends. We just entered a tea shop and placed our order when a staff member came out, shouting ‘earthquake.' We quickly ran outside, scared something might happen to us. With these fresh tremors, Nepal was once again on everyone's lips," Pradhan said.