India, Feb. 27 -- A 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck near the India-Bangladesh border around 1.22pm on Friday, sending strong tremors across Kolkata and triggering panic as residents rushed out of homes, offices and government buildings.

According to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS), the quake had its epicentre in Bangladesh. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the epicentre was located about 26km southeast of Taki in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, around 70 km east of Kolkata.

"According to early data shared by the USGS, the epicentre was at a depth of around 9.8km. The jolt felt in Kolkata was intense because it was a shallow quake, not very far from the city," said Saibal Ghosh, deputy director general ...