Kolkata and its neighbouring areas were rocked by mild tremors due to the high-intensity earthquake off the Sumatra coast Wednesday afternoon. People rushed out of highrises in the central business district, including Dalhousie Square, Park Street and Camac Street. The infotech hub at Salt Lake’s Sector 5 was swiftly evacuated.
A few highrises developed cracks, including some on Park Street and in the Sector 5 IT hub.
A building on Metcalfe Street tilted, and its top floor virtually “touched” the top floor of an adjacent building following the tremors. Dual tremors were felt: the first at around 2.08 pm and the second at 4.20 pm.
“I felt uneasy at first as my head started spinning, but soon realised the computer on my desk was visibly shaking,” said Ashish Mukherjee, who was working at Apeejay House at Park Street. Cracks were visible on the outer wall of this building. Those working at other highrises, like Chatterjee International Centre, Tata Centre, Kankaria Estate and Shantiniketan, also rushed out in panic.
The prominent Infinity Building at Salt Lake’s Sector 5 also developed cracks. Residents at 34A Metcalfe Street said the building had tilted following the tremors. There were also reports of cracks developing at one of the courtrooms at the Calcutta high court.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who returned from Delhi Wednesday, said district administrations had been alerted, and urged people not to panic.
A high alert was sounded on the coast, and tourists and fishermen warned not to go near the sea.
Services on Kolkata’s Metro Railway were suspended from 2.42 pm, and passengers directed to vacate the stations as a precautionary measure. Metro services were resumed only after 3.30 pm.