Kolkata, February 27 Residents in Kolkata and surrounding 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).
The epicenter was located at a depth of 10 km below the Earth's surface.
The epicenter was in a place called Nayabazar in Bangladesh, about 100 km from Kolkata, he said.
There were no immediate reports of any casualties or property damage, another official said.
The tremors lasted for about 10 seconds, causing panic among people in Kolkata, who then sought refuge in open streets and began to evacuate their buildings.
No aftershocks were immediately felt after the initial shock.
Panic spread among government employees working at the state secretariat, Nabanna, the assembly house, and the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, who remained on the streets, fearing 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.
