Kolkata rattled as strong 5.7 magnitude earthquake jolts Narsingdi in Bangladesh

A 5.7-magnitude earthquake struck near Narsingdi, Bangladesh, at around 10 am on Friday, November 21, PTI reported, citing the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Several locations in South Bengal, including Kolkata, experienced tremors on Friday morning. The earthquake occurred at 10:08 am, 13 km south-southwest of Narsingdi in the neighbouring country, at a depth of 10 kilometres.

Three people were killed when the railing of a six-storey building collapsed during the earthquake, Reuetrs reported citing police.

"We felt a strong jolt and buildings were shaking like trees," Suman Rahman, a Dhaka resident told the news portal. "Staircases were jammed as people rushed down. Everyone was terrified, children were crying."

Meanwhile, the fire department reported injuries caused by bricks and loose cement falling from buildings that were under construction.

"I have never felt such a tremor in my life. We were at the office when furniture started shaking. We rushed down the stairs on the street and saw other people on the road already," Sadman Sakib, who works in a private firm in Dhaka told the news agency,

People in Kolkata and neighbouring districts were reported to be taking to the streets as a precautionary measure. Several videos emerged on social media showing individuals coming out to the streets of Kolkata and other districts.

Earthquake in Pakistan today

Earlier in the day, an earthquake of magnitude 5.2 on the Richter scale jolted Pakistan, ANI reported, citing the National Centre for Seismology.

The earthquake's epicentre was situated at a depth of 135 km.

Several regions across the country have felt earthquake tremors in recent times. This week, a strong earthquake struck the Andaman Islands. The National Centre for Seismology (NCS) posted on X that the quake measured 5.4 in magnitude and occurred at a depth of 90 km.

Shallow earthquakes are generally more dangerous than deep earthquakes. This is because the seismic waves from shallow earthquakes have a shorter distance to travel to the surface, resulting in stronger ground shaking and potentially more damage to structures and greater casualties.