India, Feb. 27 -- People rushed out of buildings, onto the streets as Kolkata was jolted by an earthquake on Friday afternoon, with residents reporting tremors across the city around 1:22 pm.

According to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS), the quake registered a magnitude of 5.5, at a depth of 10 km, with its epicentre in southwestern Bangladesh. The US Geological Survey (USGS) had earlier recorded a magnitude of 5.3, and said the epicentre was 26 km southeast of Taki, West Bengal.

Videos by local outlets and news agencies showed people gathered either in panic, or joking in relief, in Salt Lake and other areas.

Recounting the moment, Swagata, a Kolkata resident, told a news agency: "We were sitting on our sofa when we suddenly ...