Tremors were felt across Kolkata and adjoining districts of West Bengal on Friday afternoon after a 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck parts of Bangladesh.
An official of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the quake was recorded at around 1.22 pm at a depth of 10 km below the Earth’s surface, triggering panic among residents.
According to the IMD, the epicentre was located in Satkhira district of Bangladesh, around 100 km from Kolkata and barely 25 km from the bordering areas of Taki in North 24 Parganas district.
There was no immediate report of any loss of life or major damage to property in the state. However, employees of some establishments in the northern parts of Kolkata claimed that walls developed cracks following the tremors, a PTI report said.
The tremors lasted for nearly 10 seconds, prompting people to rush out of buildings and gather on open streets. No aftershocks were immediately felt after the first bout of tremors, according to PTI.
Panic also 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 possible aftershocks, PTI reported.
Similar scenes were witnessed at the city’s IT hub in Salt Lake and at multi-storey residential buildings in various parts of Kolkata.
“I was sitting on a sofa in the lobby of the Assembly House when I felt light-headed and realised that the seat was moving unnaturally. I realised this was an earthquake and rushed out of the building along with others. We are still standing outside in apprehension of aftershocks,” Karabi Manna, MLA of Haripal in Hooghly district, told a vernacular TV channel, according to PTI.
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 district, reported PTI.
Employees in government and private offices also shared their experiences with the news agency.
“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 an employee of a private organisation working in a high-rise on Park Street in central Kolkata.
(With inputs from PTI)