Earthquake in Kolkata? Social media abuzz with videos — tremors last few seconds, ‘was very powerful’

Kolkata Earthquake Today: Several social media users said on Friday that they felt an earthquake in Kolkata, West Bengal, for a “few seconds” and said it was a “powerful” one. Minutes later, it was confirmed that an earthquake of magnitude 5.7 jolted Bangladesh's Narsingdi around 10.08 AM on Friday, sending tremors across West Bengal.

A user posted on X, “That earthquake lasted over 30 seconds and was very powerful.” 

Netizens were quick to share videos shot in their homes during the earthquake. One showed a shaking chandelier and wall hangings, while another showed vibrating water bottles.

One person claimed, “This is the most terrifying earthquake I have ever felt, literally the whole building shook.” Many also said they felt tremors “at 10:10 AM.”

Several videos also showed people taking to the streets of Kolkata and other districts. According to a social media user, people in the IT sector of Salt Lake City in Kolkata evacuated their offices following strong tremors felt in parts of West Bengal.

5.7 magnitude quake jolts Bangladesh, tremors felt in West Bengal

Tremors were felt in several places in South Bengal, including Kolkata, on Friday morning, as an earthquake of magnitude 5.7 jolted Bangladesh's Narsingdi, the news agency PTI quoted the India Meteorological Department (IMD) as saying.

“The quake struck 13 km south-southwest of Narsingdi in the neighbouring country at 10.08 am, and at a depth of 10 km,” the IMD said.

Meanwhile, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported a 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck near Narsingdi, Bangladesh, at 10:08:26 (UTC+05:30) today.

The United States Geological Survey stated that the earthquake's epicentre was located in the city of Narsingdi, approximately 40 km (25 miles) from Dhaka, the capital.

There was no immediate report of any injury or damage. 

Scared residents rushed out of their homes in Dhaka as buildings shook and some makeshift structures collapsed, Reuters witnesses said. “Felt the ground shake for a few seconds,” an X user said.

Last month, in October, an earthquake of magnitude 3.4 struck Bangladesh, the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) reported.

Shallow earthquakes like this one tend to cause stronger shaking because seismic waves travel a shorter distance to the surface. According to global seismic data, an earthquake occurs somewhere in the world roughly every 30 seconds, although most are too weak to be detected.

Bangladesh sits on a highly active junction of three tectonic plates – the Indian, Eurasian and Burma plates. The Indian plate moves northeast at about 6 cm per year, while the Eurasian plate moves northward at around 2 cm per year over it.

The country lies close to several major fault lines, including the Bogura fault, the Tripura fault, the Shillong Plateau, the Dauki fault, and the Assam fault, making it part of 13 earthquake-prone zones. Areas such as Chattogram, the Chattogram Hill Tracts and Jaintiapur in Sylhet fall in the highest-risk category.

Dhaka, with a population density of more than 30,000 people per square kilometre, is one of the densest cities in the world and has been identified as one of the 20 most earthquake-vulnerable cities globally, according to The Daily Star.