Kolkata Earthquake: Tremors in India's eastern city as 5.7-magnitude quake hits Bangladesh

Kolkata reported mild tremors on Friday morning, with residents feeling brief shaking around 10.10 AM. The movement lasted several seconds, and there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) later said a magnitude 5.7 earthquake had struck Bangladesh's Narsingdi at a depth of 10 km.

The tremors in Kolkata are likely linked to this quake. The incident caused brief panic among netizens, who shared accounts of furniture shaking. Authorities have not yet released details on the intensity on the region.



In October, too, an earthquake of magnitude 3.4 had struck Bangladesh, the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) reported.

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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.

The Daily Star, citing USGS figures, reported that a magnitude 4.0 earthquake releases energy equivalent to about 6 tons of TNT, while a magnitude 5.0 earthquake corresponds to around 200 tons. The energy rises sharply with each increase in magnitude: a 7.0 quake equals nearly 199,000 tons of TNT, and a 9.0 quake releases about 99 million tons, comparable to roughly 25,000 nuclear bombs.

Also Read: Kolkata earthquake: Why Eastern India felt short but strong tremors, what caused it, and which regions fall in high-risk zone

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, Tripura fault, Shillong Plateau, Dauki fault and 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 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.

(With ANI inputs)