Representational picture of a seismograph recording an earthquake. Photograph: by way of Reuters
Tremors had been felt in Kolkata and adjoining districts of West Bengal on Friday (February 27, 2026) afternoon, after an earthquake of 5.5 magnitude on the Richter Scale jolted components of Bangladesh, officers mentioned.
The quake was felt at round 1:22 p.m., an India Meteorological Division (IMD) official mentioned.
It was recorded at a depth of 10 km beneath Earth’s floor.
The epicentre of the quake was at a spot named Nayabazar in Bangladesh, some 100 km from Kolkata, he mentioned.
There was no speedy report of any lack of life or injury to property, one other official mentioned.
The tremors lasted for some 10 seconds, throwing individuals in Kolkata right into a tizzy, who then sought the security of open streets and commenced to scurry out of their buildings.
No aftershocks of the quake had been instantly felt after the primary bout of the shock.
Panic gripped authorities staff working on the state secretariat, Nabanna, the meeting home and on the workplace of the Chief Electoral Officer, who continued to stay on the streets in apprehension of aftershocks.
Comparable scenes had been witnessed on the metropolis’s IT hub in Salt Lake and at multi-storey residential buildings in varied components of Kolkata.
Printed – February 27, 2026 02:02 pm IST