Strong Earthquake Jolts Kolkata, Residents Rush Outdoors in Panic

The epicentre of the earthquake was located in Bangladesh near the India-Bangladesh border, according to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS). At the same time, USGS said the epicentre was about 26 km southeast of Taki, North 24 Parganas district, roughly 70 km east of Kolkata, and at a shallow depth of 9.8 km. 

The tremors felt unusually strong in Kolkata, experts reported, because the quake was shallow and relatively close to the city.

“Since the earthquake struck at a shallow depth, the shaking was much stronger in Kolkata,” said Saibal Ghosh, Deputy Director General of the Geological Survey of India.

Panic and Evacuations Across the City

Shortly after the tremors were felt, people rushed out of residential buildings, schools, and offices. A magnitude-5.5 earthquake hit near the India-Bangladesh border and triggered strong tremors across Kolkata. The residents scurried to vacate buildings as offices and schools were evacuated. As a safety measure, Nabanna employees, at the state secretariat, stepped outside the high-rise building. Legislators and staff also vacated the West Bengal Legislative Assembly premises.

As buildings swayed, residents described moments of fear and confusion. 

“I live on the eighth floor in Behala, a 13-storey building. My child and I ran downstairs. I’ve never felt such a strong earthquake before. Everybody was panicking,” said Madhumita Roy, a resident of southwest Kolkata.

“It all just began to shake suddenly,” said Sandip Bhattacharya, an IT professional from Salt Lake, another witness. “A colleague yelled, and we all scrambled down the stairs. 

It was terrifying.” No significant damage has been registered yet or casualties have been reported, but authorities are keeping a close eye on the situation.