Kolkata and several adjoining districts were jolted by strong earthquake tremors on Friday, causing panic among residents who rushed out of homes and offices.

According to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), the quake originated in Bangladesh.

A 5.7-magnitude earthquake struck near the Ghorashal area in Bangladesh at 10.8 am. The epicentre of the quake was 14 km from Narsingdi in Bangladesh, according to the United States Geological Survey.

Scared residents rushed out of their homes in Dhaka as buildings shook and some makeshift structures collapsed, Reuters witnesses said.

This comes after two moderate-intensity earthquakes struck Pakistan and Afghanistan in the early hours of Friday, according to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS).

Tremors shook a vast area of South Bengal. The tremors were felt at 10:10 am and lasted for about 20 seconds.

"The fans and sofa were shaking for at least seven to eight seconds," said a resident of Salt Lake Sector 3.

So far, no immediate reports of damage or casualties have emerged.

Office employees have left their office and taken to the streets in fear of the earthquake at Sector V on Friday morning. Picture by Amit Datta.

Several social media users claimed on Friday that they felt an earthquake in Kolkata for a “few seconds” but a “powerful” one.

Many Kolkata residents took to social media to describe the intensity. “Small quake but big panic,” wrote Supratim Maitra on X, adding that even a brief jolt caused alarm across neighbourhoods.

Another user, Vinay Kumar Dokania, said the tremors were unusually long: “That #earthquake lasted over 30 seconds and was very powerful.”

They also shared the moment when the quake hit, with visuals showing swinging fans and wall fixtures.