Kolkata (Gurpreet Singh)— A powerful earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter Scale struck the Indo-Bangladesh border region on Friday afternoon, February 27, 2026, sending shockwaves through Kolkata and the adjacent districts of West Bengal. The tremors, which occurred at approximately 1:22 PM, lasted for nearly ten seconds and originated from a shallow depth of 10 km below the Earth’s surface. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the epicentre was located in the Satkhira district of Bangladesh, situated just 100 km from Kolkata and a mere 25 km from the border town of Taki in North 24 Parganas.
The prolonged duration of the tremors sparked widespread panic across the state capital, prompting thousands of office workers and residents to abandon high-rise buildings for the safety of the streets. While no immediate loss of life was reported, the impact was visible in the northern parts of Kolkata, where employees in several commercial establishments claimed that walls had developed cracks due to the intensity of the jolts. The city’s IT hub in Salt Lake and the state secretariat, Nabanna, saw massive evacuations as government employees remained outdoors for over an hour, fearing potential aftershocks.
The seismic event interrupted official business at the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, where several MLAs were gathered for work related to the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in March. Haripal MLA Karabi Manna described a sensation of feeling light-headed before realizing her seat was moving unnaturally, leading to a swift exit from the building along with her colleagues. Similarly, Basanti MLA Shyamal Mondal noted that while he had received no reports of major damage from his constituency near the Bangladesh border, he had never experienced a tremor of such significant length in his life.
Geological experts have frequently warned about the vulnerability of Kolkata’s infrastructure, noting that the city’s foundation on soft alluvial soil could exacerbate the effects of a major seismic event. Friday’s quake served as a sobering reminder of these risks, as residents on Park Street and in multi-storey residential complexes reported tripping in stairwells during the frantic rush to evacuate. Although the IMD confirmed that no immediate aftershocks were recorded, disaster management teams remain on high alert across the bordering districts to monitor structural integrity and ensure public safety during the weekend.
