Kolkata and Nearby Regions Shaken by Earthquake, Residents in Panic
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Kolkata, Feb 27 (NationPress) - The city of Kolkata and surrounding districts experienced a series of two significant earthquake tremors on Friday afternoon, prompting residents to flee their homes and workplaces in sheer panic.
The tremors struck at 1:22 p.m., reverberating throughout the city and its neighboring areas.
Numerous high-rise buildings in the metropolis swayed for several seconds.
The earthquake's epicenter was located in Khulna, Bangladesh, with a magnitude of 5.5 on the Richter scale. Many individuals evacuated their residences and offices due to fear, and reports surfaced of several older structures leaning precariously.
As of the reporting time, no major casualties or disasters had been confirmed following the tremors. In addition to Kolkata, the shocks were predominantly felt in districts across South Bengal.
The areas that experienced the most intense tremors included South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, East Midnapore, and West Midnapore, among others.
Earlier on February 3, at 9:05 p.m., a vast region of Kolkata also shook due to an earthquake. Citizens promptly took to the streets at that time. The initial reports indicated that the tremor originated from Myanmar.
Last November, Kolkata and a significant part of South Bengal experienced another quake, which was traced back to Narsingdi, Bangladesh, and had a depth of 10 kilometers, with a magnitude of 5.7.
This latest series of tremors was noted to be more persistent, with many residents sharing videos capturing the event on social media.
Although the state administration has yet to issue an official statement regarding the earthquake's impact, sources from the state Secretariat 'Nabanna' indicated that various district headquarters are being contacted for further details.
Notably, the state administration has urged the public to remain calm and not succumb to panic.