Magnitude 5.4 earthquake sends tremors across Kolkata; residents panic

A massive 5.4 magnitude earthquake shook Kolkata city at around 1:22 pm on Friday afternoon.

The national centre for Seismology, NCS, said that the tremor occurred at a depth of 10 kilometres with its epicentre in the Satkhira region in the Southwestern Agargaon, Dhaka, Bangladesh and occurred at around 1:52 pm local time.

Many in the city reported experiencing continuous tremors till around 1:23 pm.

As the earthquake occurred, an earthquake alert was sent to residents of the area.

Many ran out of apartments and gathered in open areas.

Visuals shared on social media saw residents running out of homes and offices as a safety precaution.

Images of shaking fans, furniture and rattling windows were also shared.

Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar, who was in the middle of addressing a venue, was seen taking a pause in a video by IANS.

One 63 year who spoke to NDTV reported that her rocking chair and fan moved on their own and said that it “continued for five minutes.”

However, the earthquake only lasted a few seconds, and the movement was possibly caused by the moment already created.