KOLKATA: An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 on the Richter Scale struck 188 kilometres from Dhaka on Friday afternoon, as per the US Geological Survey (USGS). Tremors were felt in several parts of Kolkata and adjoining areas of West Bengal, prompting residents to rush out of their homes and office buildings as a precautionary measure.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) has reported the quake to be of 5.4 magnitude. The tremor was reported around 1:30 PM IST and was recorded southwest of the BMD Seismic Centre in Dhaka's Agargaon, it said.
The USGS said the earthquake was located at latitude 22.451°N and longitude 89.139°E, at a depth of 9.8 kilometres.
People were seen gathering in open spaces in Kolkata shortly after the tremors were felt.
Recounting the moment, Swagata, a Kolkata resident, said that the sofa and fan in their room were visibly shaking, after which they had to rush downstairs to open spaces.
"We were sitting on our sofa when we suddenly felt the tremors. We rushed out of our house. The sofa and fan were shaking, and a bottle kept on a table fell down. All of us have rushed downstairs," she said.
Shallow earthquakes are generally more dangerous than deep earthquakes. This is because the seismic waves from shallow earthquakes have a shorter distance to travel to the surface, resulting in stronger ground shaking and potentially more damage to structures and greater casualties.
Earthquakes can occur anywhere between the Earth's surface and about 700 kilometres below the surface. For scientific purposes, this earthquake depth range of 0 - 700 km is divided into three zones: shallow, intermediate, and deep, as per USGS data.
Shallow earthquakes are between 0 and 70 km deep; intermediate earthquakes, 70 - 300 km deep; and deep earthquakes, 300 - 700 km deep. In general, the term "deep-focus earthquakes" is applied to earthquakes deeper than 70 km, the USGS states.
Earlier today, an earthquake of magnitude 2.7 on the Richter Scale struck Namchi in Sikkim, the National Center for Seismology (NCS) said.
According to the NCS, the earthquake occurred at 12:02:43 IST at a depth of 5 kilometres and the epicentre was located at latitude 27.36 N and longitude 88.37 E.
"EQ of M: 2.7, On: 27/02/2026 12:02:43 IST, Lat: 27.36 N, Long: 88.37 E, Depth: 5 Km, Location: Namchi, Sikkim," the NCS stated in a post on X.