India, Feb. 27 -- Major tremors were felt across Kolkata and several parts of south Bengal on Friday afternoon after a 5.3-magnitude earthquake struck in neighbouring Bangladesh, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

The USGS placed the epicentre in southwestern Bangladesh and recorded the magnitude at 5.3, with the quake occurring at approximately 1:52 pm local time.

Earlier, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), an independent scientific organisation that provides real-time earthquake information, had reported the tremor as magnitude 5.5, locating the epicentre 26 km southwest of Khulna at 13:52:30 local time.

Variations in preliminary magnitude estimates are common as agencies refine seismic data...