Kolkata: A powerful earthquake shook Kolkata and surrounding areas on Friday afternoon, sending alarm through the city as residents felt ground movement.

According to seismic monitoring data from the independent agency EMSC, the quake registered a preliminary magnitude of 5.5, with the epicentre located approximately 26 km southwest of Khulna, Bangladesh.

The tremor struck at around 1:22 pm Indian Standard Time (IST) and was widely reported by people across Kolkata, where clocks swung, walls trembled, and heavy furniture visibly shook.

Social media posts and eyewitness accounts described a noticeable jolt that prompted many to step out of buildings in caution.

Residents in high-rise apartments and office buildings across the city said they felt the shaking for several seconds, with some reporting rattling wall clocks and swaying tables. 

Epicentre near Bangladesh–India border

Seismologists have attributed the tremors felt in Kolkata to the quake’s proximity to the India-Bangladesh border region. The epicentre’s location in southern Bangladesh, just across the border from India, allowed the ground movement to travel significant distances, triggering perceptible shaking in Kolkata and other parts of eastern India.