On Friday Night a Shallow M5.6 Earthquake struck near Kathmandu in Nepal.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on February 27th, 2025. Last updated April 7th, 2025.

A shallow and significant Magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck under land 62 kilometer from Kathmandu in Nepal in the night of Friday February 28th, 2025. Around 68 million people have been exposed to shaking. Another nearby country is India.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Nepal, 62 kilometer (39 mi) east-northeast of Kathmandu in Bagmati Province. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Feb 28, 2025 02:51AM (Kathmandu Time) 38 days ago - Feb 27, 2025 21:06 Universal Time.
Location:	62 km ENE of Kathmandu, Bagmati Province, Nepal. Coordinates 27°51'46"N 85°55'24"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.6 Detected by 324 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.033 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VI Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 68 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 68 million people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is V, which corresponds with moderate shaking and very light damage. Roughly 52,940 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 63 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected.

People in 3 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Nepal , around 20 million people, with impact levels up to V (moderate shaking, very light damage). In India , around 48 million people. People were exposed to shaking in China as well.

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
1,848,000	II	Very weak	None
62,800,000	III	Weak	Probably none
3,785,000	IV	Light	Likely none
52,940	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake struck within proximity of multiple countries. Nepal and India are both within 300km distance of its epicenter.

Dhulikhel in Bagmati Province, Nepal is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 46 kilometer (29 mi) north-east of Dhulikhel. The intensity of shaking and damage in Dhulikhel is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Kathmandu is located 62 km to the west-southwest and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Patna is located 264 km to the south-southwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Pātan is located 63 km to the west-southwest and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage).

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
46 km (29 mi) SW from epicenter	Dhulikhel Bagmati Province, Nepal.	IV Light
47 km (29 mi) WSW from epicenter	Banepā Bagmati Province, Nepal.	IV Light
50 km (31 mi) SW from epicenter	Panauti Bagmati Province, Nepal.	IV Light
51 km (32 mi) SW from epicenter	Panauti̇̄ Bagmati Province, Nepal.	IV Light
56 km (35 mi) WSW from epicenter	Madhyapur Thimi Bagmati Province, Nepal.	IV Light
62 km (39 mi) WSW from epicenter	Kathmandu Bagmati Province, Nepal.	IV Light
63 km (39 mi) WSW from epicenter	Pātan Bagmati Province, Nepal.	IV Light
67 km (42 mi) WSW from epicenter	Kirtipur Bagmati Province, Nepal.	IV Light
100 km (62 mi) WSW from epicenter	Hetauda Bagmati Province, Nepal.	III Weak
118 km (73 mi) SSW from epicenter	Malaṅgawā Province 2, Nepal.	III Weak
126 km (78 mi) S from epicenter	Janakpur Province 2, Nepal.	III Weak
135 km (84 mi) S from epicenter	Jaleshwar Province 2, Nepal.	III Weak
137 km (85 mi) SSE from epicenter	Siraha Province 2, Nepal.	III Weak
138 km (86 mi) ESE from epicenter	Khā̃dbāri̇̄ Province 1, Nepal.	III Weak
138 km (86 mi) SSW from epicenter	Gaur Province 2, Nepal.	III Weak
139 km (86 mi) SSE from epicenter	Lahān Province 2, Nepal.	III Weak
139 km (86 mi) SW from epicenter	Birgañj Province 2, Nepal.	III Weak
140 km (87 mi) SSW from epicenter	Bairāgnia Bihar, India.	III Weak
142 km (88 mi) SSE from epicenter	Triyuga Province 1, Nepal.	III Weak
143 km (89 mi) S from epicenter	Jainagar Bihar, India.	III Weak
144 km (89 mi) SW from epicenter	Raxaul Bihar, India.	III Weak
147 km (91 mi) SSW from epicenter	Sītāmarhi Bihar, India.	III Weak
148 km (92 mi) W from epicenter	Bharatpur Bagmati Province, Nepal.	III Weak
152 km (94 mi) SSW from epicenter	Dhāka Bihar, India.	III Weak
162 km (101 mi) SSW from epicenter	Sheohar Bihar, India.	III Weak
168 km (104 mi) SW from epicenter	Mothīhāri Bihar, India.	III Weak
168 km (104 mi) S from epicenter	Madhubani Bihar, India.	III Weak
168 km (104 mi) SSE from epicenter	Rājbirāj Province 2, Nepal.	III Weak
169 km (105 mi) SW from epicenter	Sagauli Bihar, India.	III Weak
176 km (109 mi) WSW from epicenter	Rāmnagar Bihar, India.	III Weak
178 km (111 mi) SE from epicenter	Dharān Province 1, Nepal.	III Weak
181 km (112 mi) SSE from epicenter	Jhanjhārpur Bihar, India.	III Weak
183 km (114 mi) SW from epicenter	Bettiah Bihar, India.	III Weak
185 km (115 mi) SE from epicenter	Inaruwa Province 1, Nepal.	III Weak
189 km (117 mi) SE from epicenter	Īṭahari̇̄ Province 1, Nepal.	III Weak
190 km (118 mi) S from epicenter	Darbhanga Bihar, India.	III Weak
197 km (122 mi) WNW from epicenter	Pokhara Gandaki Pradesh, Nepal.	II Weak
200 km (124 mi) WSW from epicenter	Bagaha Bihar, India.	III Weak
201 km (125 mi) SSW from epicenter	Muzaffarpur Bihar, India.	III Weak
206 km (128 mi) SE from epicenter	Biratnagar Province 1, Nepal.	III Weak
231 km (144 mi) SSE from epicenter	Saharsa Bihar, India.
244 km (152 mi) W from epicenter	Butwāl Lumbini Province, Nepal.
252 km (157 mi) SSW from epicenter	Hājīpur Bihar, India.
259 km (161 mi) SSW from epicenter	Chāpra Bihar, India.
262 km (163 mi) SSW from epicenter	Dinapore Bihar, India.
264 km (164 mi) SSW from epicenter	Patna Bihar, India.
272 km (169 mi) ESE from epicenter	Gangtok Sikkim, India.
278 km (173 mi) SE from epicenter	Purnia Bihar, India.
279 km (173 mi) ESE from epicenter	Siliguri West Bengal, India.
280 km (174 mi) WSW from epicenter	Gorakhpur Uttar Pradesh, India.
282 km (175 mi) SSE from epicenter	Monghyr Bihar, India.
285 km (177 mi) SSW from epicenter	Arrah Bihar, India.
299 km (186 mi) S from epicenter	Bihār Sharīf Bihar, India.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is VI. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Shaking reported by 317 people in 4 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 317 people have reported shaking in 72 places in 4 countries (Thailand, Bangladesh, India, Nepal).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

Kathmandu, Kathmandu, Nepal: 56 people.
Lalitpur, Lalitpur, Nepal: 33 people.
Shilīguri, Bangla, India: 32 people.
Tribuvannagar, Dang Deokhuri, Nepal: 25 people.
Bhaktapur, Bhaktapur, Nepal: 10 people.
Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal: 9 people.
Patna, Bihar, India: 9 people.
Itahari, Sunsari, Nepal: 7 people.
Uttar Bagdogra, Bangla, India: 7 people.
Pokharā, Kaski, Nepal: 7 people.

Risk of aftershocks?

This earthquake did not have any significant foreshocks nor aftershocks occurring within 100km (62 mi) of its epicenter.

The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

Earthquakes like this are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since January 7th, 2025, when a 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit 165 km (102 mi) further east-northeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck on April 25th, 2015.

In total, 9 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.6 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every year.

Tsunami very unlikely

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Factor	Under Sea?	MAG-6.5 or stronger?	Shallow depth?
Explanation	Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami.	Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's.	Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor.
This Earthquake	Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.6. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 07/04/25 02:08 (16 hours ago). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.