Kolkata Earthquake Triggers Panic as Strong Tremors Send People Rushing Into Streets

Strong earthquake tremors jolted Kolkata and several adjoining districts on Friday morning, sending residents rushing out of homes and offices in panic. According to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), the quake originated in neighbouring Bangladesh.

India’s National Centre for Seismology confirmed that the tremors were triggered by a 5.7-magnitude earthquake centred in Narsingdi, Bangladesh. The quake struck 13 km south-southwest of Narsingdi at 10:08 am, at a shallow depth of 10 km, making the tremors widely felt across the region.

Tremors were reported from several parts of West Bengal and the northeast, including Kolkata and Assam’s Guwahati, where people rushed outdoors as a precaution.

On social media, Kolkata residents described the jolt as brief but alarming.
“Small quake but big panic,” wrote one user, Supratim Maitra, noting that even a short tremor caused widespread concern.
Another user, Vinay Kumar Dokania, said the shaking felt unusually long: “That earthquake lasted over 30 seconds and was very powerful.”

Officials said there were no immediate reports of casualties or property damage.

Spikes in Google searches

Data from Google Trends showed a sharp spike in searches for “earthquake Kolkata” shortly after the tremors. West Bengal accounted for the highest interest (100), followed by Sikkim (6), Jharkhand (3), Karnataka (3), and Odisha (3). Breakout searches included “was there an earthquake in Kolkata just now,” “earthquake today Kolkata,” “earthquake West Bengal,” and “today earthquake news,” reflecting real-time concern and the rush for information.