Kolkata, February 27 Residents of Kolkata and adjacent districts of West Bengal felt tremors on Friday afternoon after a 5.5 magnitude earthquake struck parts of Bangladesh, officials said.
The quake was felt around 1:22 pm, according to an official from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), and caused widespread panic.
The epicenter of the quake was the Satkhira district of Bangladesh, located approximately 100 km from Kolkata and just 25 km from the border areas of Taki in North 24 Parganas district, he said.
There were no immediate reports of any loss of life or major property damage in the state, although employees of some establishments in the northern parts of Kolkata claimed that walls developed cracks as a result of the tremors.
The tremors lasted for about 10 seconds, throwing people in Kolkata into panic and confusion, prompting them to rush out of their buildings and seek safety in open streets.
No aftershocks were immediately felt after the initial tremors.
Panic gripped government employees working at the state secretariat, Nabanna, the assembly house, and the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, who continued to remain on the streets in apprehension of aftershocks.
Similar scenes were witnessed at the city's IT hub in Salt Lake and at multi-story residential buildings in various parts of Kolkata.
"I was sitting on a sofa in the lobby of the Assembly House when I felt dizzy and realized that the seat was moving unnaturally. I realized this was an earthquake and rushed out of the building along with others. We are still standing outside in apprehension of aftershocks," Karabi Manna, the MLA of Haripal in Hooghly district, told a local TV channel.
Manna, along with other MLAs, was at the assembly for official work related to the Rajya Sabha elections scheduled in March.
"I have never felt tremors lasting this long in my life. I was at the entry staircase of the building's portico when it happened. I have been receiving reports of people's experiences with the earthquake from various corners of my constituency. Thankfully, no information on damage has come so far," said Shyamal Mondal, MLA from Basanti in South 24 Parganas, a district bordering Bangladesh.
Employees in government and private offices on the last working day of the week also shared their experiences of the tremors.
"I was trying to rush out of the building along with others when I tripped and fell. I was careful to use the staircase and not the elevator. The quake lasted for a significant amount of time, which perhaps caused the panic," said a private organization employee with his office at a high-rise on Park Street in central Kolkata.
"The soft alluvial soil on which Kolkata stands may lead to the city suffering extensive damage if it gets hit by a major earthquake. It's better to be safe than sorry," added an IT employee in Salt Lake, who rushed out of his office and stood on the streets.