Areas close to B’desh epicentre bear brunt

Kolkata: While Kolkata and several parts of southern Bengal felt the tremors on Friday afternoon, the worst damage was reported from the villages along the India-Bangladesh border, particularly near Taki in Basirhat subdivision, which is 26km from the epicentre in Nayabazar.According to The National Centre for Seismology (NCS), the quake measured 5.5 on the Richter scale and struck at a depth of 10 km in Nayabazar. In villages bordering Bangladesh, between 19 km and 30 km from Satkhira, at least five houses suffered structural damage. Portions of concrete ceilings collapsed in some homes, while wall tiles fell off in others.
At Basirhat's Trimohini, Shankar Patra said his two-storey house developed significant cracks. "It was around 1.20 pm. We were about to have lunch when we felt the tremors. My wife and daughter cried out in horror. The shaking lasted several seconds, but we continued to feel dizzy for a couple of minutes even after it stopped. Later, we noticed several cracks in the walls," he said.Damage was also reported from Puratanbazar near Taki. Samir Guha, a local resident, said tiles fitted only a few years ago at his home fell off during the quake. "We felt strong tremors for nearly 30 to 35 seconds. It was terrifying," he said. In Jogeshganj in Hingalganj, near the international border, the upper portion of a garment shop collapsed. The shop owner said they had a narrow escape. "We were inside when the earthquake struck. The attic room collapsed, but we immediately rushed out after feeling the tremors," he said.At Minakhan, the entire portion of an under-construction building came crashing down during the quake. A video of the collapse went viral on social media, though its authenticity could not be independently verified by TOI. Several houses were also damaged at Beliaghata in Sashan. A local panchayat member said large cracks appeared in the walls of some houses near Beliaghata Bazar, and a chunk of concrete ceiling fell from one residence. Reports of cracks in buildings also emerged from Amdanga. Sheikh Sabir Ali, a resident of Beraberia in Amdanga, described scenes of panic. "We were sitting on the sofa when we suddenly felt the tremors. The sofa and ceiling fan were shaking, and a bottle on the table fell down. All of us rushed downstairs. Later we found cracks in our house," he said.