5.1-magnitude earthquake hits Bay of Bengal, tremors felt in Kolkata
What's the story
A 5.1-magnitude earthquake struck the Bay of Bengal on Tuesday morning, sending tremors across Kolkata and adjoining areas.
According to the National Center for Seismology (NCS), the quake struck at 6:10am.
The epicenter was near Puri in Odisha at a depth of 91km, an official from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
Public reaction
Kolkata residents share earthquake experiences on social media
While the earthquake triggered momentary panic among Kolkata's residents, there have been no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
Many people took to social media to share their experiences, with some posting about the sudden jolts they felt early in the morning.
"Earthquake Alert! Received a Google Earthquake Alert at around 6:10am in Kolkata," one user wrote on X.
Seismic activity
Kolkata's seismic zone classification and recent tremors
Kolkata falls under Seismic Zone III, which means it is moderately prone to earthquakes.
Although not as vulnerable to major quakes as areas like Northeast India or the Himalayas, Kolkata does feel tremors from nearby seismic activities from time to time.
Earlier this year, mild tremors were felt in Kolkata after an earthquake in Tibet and parts of Nepal on January 8.
National tremors
Recent earthquake activity in India
Apart from Kolkata's event, a separate earthquake of magnitude 3.7 jolted Himachal Pradesh's Mandi district on Sunday at 8:42am with no damage or casualties reported.
The epicenter was near Kiargi in Sundernagar at a depth of seven kilometers.
Earlier this month, Delhi was jolted by a magnitude 4.0 earthquake on February 17, sending residents fleeing buildings in panic.