Dozen Earthquakes In One Night Cause Panic Across Sikkim, North Bengal
The first quake with epicentre at Geyzing was followed by 12 aftershocks throughout the night in Gangtok, Namchi, Mangan, leaving tourists in panic.
Published : February 7, 2026 at 12:34 PM IST
Gangtok: A dozen earthquakes in one night have shattered the sleep of the people of Sikkim. Although there was no immediate damage from Thursday night's tremors, this rare occurrence has caused concern among environmentalists. Panic has also spread among tourists.
Tremors Across Sikkim, North Bengal
Late Thursday night, an earthquake shook the entire Northeast India. Measuring around 4.3 on the Richter scale, it was felt in Sikkim, Bhutan, and across North Bengal. This caused panic among the general public during the night, although there are no reports of any damage.
However, after the main earthquake, a series of aftershocks began to be felt in Sikkim. Between Thursday night and Friday morning, a dozen earthquakes were recorded in Sikkim, leaving people across Sikkim and neighbouring North Bengal fearful, and the Sikkim administration and tourists worried.
Gopinath Raha, Director of the Sikkim Meteorological Department, said, "The first and most intense earthquake was felt in Sikkim at around 1 am. But till Friday morning, a total of 12 aftershocks were felt. The matter has been reported to the Central Meteorological Department. We are also monitoring the situation."
Environmentalists Concerned
The occurrence of so many earthquakes in such a short period has also increased concerns of environmentalists. Geologist and North Bengal University professor, Ranjan Roy, said, "This is not new. We had warned before that the Himalayas are a young mountain range. Given the ongoing mountain formation process, there is a risk of earthquakes of magnitude 8-9. Uncontrolled and unscientific construction of houses, hotels, multistorey buildings, roads, and bridges in the mountains must be stopped. This is increasing pressure on the mountains. It must be remembered that the Himalayas are young and fragile. Therefore, before undertaking any construction work in this mountainous region, a thorough survey of the soil's load bearing capacity and landslide susceptibility should be conducted."
A Siliguri College professor said, "The way unplanned and unrestrained concrete construction, tunnel building by cutting through hills, and the construction of new dams on the Teesta River, which already has 12 dams, are continuously putting pressure on the earth. This is definitely one of the reasons."
Earthquake-Prone Area
Recently, after a survey, the Bureau of Indian Standards published a report on earthquake-prone areas across the country. The report was published after the seventh observation on earthquake hazard and criteria for earthquake-resistant design of structures.
It identified a large part of the region, from Darjeeling, Kurseong, Kalimpong, and Sikkim to parts of Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh, extending to Myanmar, as highly earthquake-prone areas. Following the release of this report, environmentalists and scientists have expressed concern, which now seems to be coming true.
Details of a Dozen Earthquakes
A source in the Sikkim Meteorological Department has provided a detailed account of the 12 consecutive quakes that hit the region since Friday night.
1. The first earthquake occurred at 1.09 am on Saturday. The magnitude was 4.5 on the Richter scale. The earthquake originated 10 km below the surface close to Geyzing in West Sikkim. The tremors spread across Sikkim, as well as areas under West Bengal like Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Siliguri, Jalpaiguri, and parts of Nepal, China, and Assam.
2. The state of Sikkim was shaken by earthquakes 11 more times since then. At 1.15 am, tremors originated 10 km below the surface in Gangtok, Sikkim. The magnitude was 3.1 on the Richter scale.
3. At 2.03 am, an earthquake was felt in Mangan, Sikkim, which originated 10 km below the surface in Mangan. The magnitude was 2.5 on the Richter scale.
4. At 2.20 am, Sikkim was shaken again. This time, the epicenter was Namchi. The tremor originated 5 km below the surface, and magnitude was 3.9 on the Richter scale.
5. At 2.43 am, Namchi was shaken again. This time, the epicenter was 5 km deep, while the magnitude was 2.4 on the Richter scale.
6. At 2.56 am, Mangan was shaken again. The epicenter was 5 km deep, while magnitude was 2.4 on the Richter scale.
7. Within a few minutes, at 2.59 am, another tremor was felt in Mangan. The epicenter was 5 km deep, and magnitude, 2.5 on the Richter scale.
8. At 3.11 am, another quake shook Namchi with epicenter 5 km deep and magnitude 4 on the Richter scale.
9. At 3.36 AM, another tremor occurred. The magnitude was 2.8 on the Richter scale. The epicenter was 5 km deep in Mangan.
10. The tremor at 3.52 am originated 7 km deep in Mangan. The magnitude was 2.7 on the Richter scale.
11. At 4.57 am, Mangan was shaken again. The epicenter was 5 km deep, and the magnitude was 2.2 on the Richter scale.
12. Then, at 5.29 am, another tremor occurred. The epicenter was 5 km deep in Namchi. The magnitude was 2.9 on the Richter scale.
Tourists Worried
Sikkim is currently full of tourists. Various tour operators are already receiving calls from them. Samrat Sanyal, secretary of the Himalayan Hospitality and Tourism Development Network, said, "Tourists are calling with anxiety. However, there is nothing to panic about. We are constantly in touch with the Sikkim administration. The Sikkim administration is vigilant."
