Strong Tremors Rock Kolkata, Dhaka as 5.9 Magnitude Quake Hits Myanmar

An earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale struck Myanmar on Tuesday, with strong tremors felt across parts of eastern India, including Kolkata, and in several areas of Bangladesh.

According to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), the quake occurred about 70 miles east of Akyab in Myanmar. The German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) said the earthquake struck at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres.

Residents in various parts of West Bengal, including Kolkata, reported experiencing strong shaking, while tremors were also felt in neighbouring Bangladesh.

The EMSC said this was the third earthquake felt in Myanmar over the past 71 hours. No immediate reports of casualties or major damage were received.

Bangladesh also experienced another quake earlier on Tuesday. The National Centre for Seismology (NCS) reported that a magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck the country at a depth of 150 kilometres.

Seismologists note that earthquakes occur somewhere on the planet every 30 seconds, though most are too weak to be detected.

Because the Richter scale is logarithmic, each increase in magnitude represents a significant rise in energy released. A magnitude 4.0 quake releases energy equivalent to about six tonnes of TNT, while a magnitude 5.0 releases around 200 tonnes. A magnitude 7.0 quake is comparable to nearly 199,000 tonnes, and a magnitude 9.0 to about 99 million tonnes of TNT, according to The Daily Star.