March 25, 2003 Earthquake: Phuentsholing, Bhutan
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck Phuentsholing, Bhutan on March 25, 2003 at 18:51:26 UTC, 47 km below the surface.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- March 25, 2003
- Time
- 18:51:26 UTC
- Place
- Phuentsholing, Bhutan
- Magnitude
- 5.5 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 47 km (29 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 27.264° N, 89.331° E
- Country
- Bhutan
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses damaged
- Few (about 1 to 50) with its tsunami and other effects
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Minor damage to some buildings at Phuentsholing. Felt (V) at Thimphu and felt strongly throughout Bhutan. Felt in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Sikkim and West Bengal, India. Also felt in Nepal and Tibet. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
More
Significant earthquakes of 2003The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2003Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 5689.