Kolkata, February 27 Residents in 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), causing widespread panic.
The tremor was recorded at a depth of 10 km below the Earth's surface.
The epicenter of the earthquake was the Satkhira district of Bangladesh, located about 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 casualties or major property damage in the state, although employees of some establishments in the northern parts of Kolkata reported that walls developed cracks due to the tremors.
Roads in the Parnashree area of Behala in west Kolkata developed large cracks.
The tremors lasted for about 10 seconds, causing panic and chaos among residents in Kolkata, prompting them to rush out of their buildings and seek safety in open areas.
No aftershocks were immediately felt after the initial tremor.
Panic gripped 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.
"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," said Karabi Manna, an MLA from Haripal in Hooghly district, speaking to a local TV channel. "I realized it was an earthquake and rushed out of the building along with others. We are still standing outside, fearing aftershocks."
Manna, along with other MLAs, was at the assembly for official work related to the Rajya Sabha elections scheduled for March.
"I have never experienced tremors of this duration before. I was at the entrance staircase of the building's portico when it happened. I have been receiving reports from various parts of my constituency about people's experiences with the earthquake. Thankfully, there have been no reports of damage so far," said Shyamal Mondal, an 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 stairs and not the elevator. The earthquake lasted for a significant amount of time, which may have caused the panic," said an employee of a private organization with his office on Park Street in central Kolkata.
"The soft alluvial soil on which Kolkata stands may lead to extensive damage if it is hit by a major earthquake. It is better to be safe than sorry," added an IT employee in Salt Lake, who rushed out of his office and stood on the streets.
