Earth Tremors Rattle Bangladesh and East India

Picture this: It's a Thursday evening, just past 9 PM on November 21st, 2025. Many are winding down, perhaps enjoying dinner, catching up on work, or simply relaxing at home. Then, suddenly, the ground beneath them starts to sway. Not just a little wobble, but a distinct, unnerving tremor. That's precisely what countless individuals across Bangladesh and a significant portion of Eastern India experienced when a magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck, sending a ripple of unease far and wide.

The epicentre of this particular seismic event was traced to Bangladesh, specifically about 17 kilometers east-northeast of Sreemangal. It occurred at a depth of approximately 55 kilometers, which, interestingly enough, can sometimes lead to tremors being felt over a broader area, albeit with potentially less localized intensity at the very surface. For those in West Bengal, especially in bustling cities like Kolkata, and extending to parts of the North East, the tremors were unmistakable. And get this – the reverberations even reached as far as the Delhi-NCR region, which just goes to show the sheer scale of the energy released.

Naturally, when the earth moves like that, people react. There were immediate reports of residents evacuating their homes and offices, rushing out into open spaces as a precautionary measure. It’s a primal response, isn't it? That sudden jolt of adrenaline when you realize the stability you take for granted is momentarily gone. In Kolkata, for instance, the effects were particularly noticeable for those on higher floors, where the swaying sensation is often amplified. It's a truly disorienting experience, to say the least.

Beyond the immediate human reactions, there were practical consequences too. The Kolkata Metro, a vital lifeline for millions, promptly suspended its services as a precautionary measure. This is standard protocol during significant seismic activity – better safe than sorry, especially when public safety is at stake. They paused operations, conducted thorough checks of the tracks and infrastructure, ensuring everything was sound before resuming. This kind of swift action, while momentarily disruptive, is crucial.

Thankfully, despite the widespread panic and the initial scare, official reports from authorities, including the National Center for Seismology (NCS), confirmed what everyone hoped to hear: there were no immediate reports of significant damage or, more importantly, any casualties. It was, in many ways, a potent reminder of nature's immense power, a moment that shook us quite literally, but one from which we emerged relatively unscathed. A sigh of relief, no doubt, swept across the affected regions once the initial shock subsided.