Earthquake jolts Kolkata, panic among residents

KOLKATA: Strong tremors were felt in Kolkata on Friday afternoon, causing panic among residents across the city and surrounding areas.The earthquake, measuring 5.4 on the Richter Scale, struck south-west of the BMD Seismic Centre in Agargaon, Dhaka, Bangladesh, officials confirmed to news agency ANI.No immediate reports of casualties or property damage have been received. The tremors, which lasted only a few seconds, were felt across multiple parts of the city and surrounding areas, including high-rise residential buildings and crowded marketplaces. Residents in several neighbourhoods reported swaying ceiling fans, shaking furniture, and rattling windows, with the effects being particularly noticeable in multi-storey structures. Several residents took to social media to share screenshots of earthquake alerts sent to their mobile phones, while videos and images circulating online showed people rushing out of homes and offices as a precautionary measure.Videos and images circulating online showed residents in Kolkata hurriedly leaving their homes and offices as a safety precaution.Earlier this month, on February 3, tremors were felt across Kolkata and surrounding areas following a 6.1 magnitude earthquake, whose epicentre was in Myanmar, officials from the IMD said. “The epicentre of the earthquake was somewhere in Myanmar. We are ascertaining the details and trying to pinpoint its exact location. It had a magnitude of 6.1 on the Richter scale,” the official told PTI.