AT LEAST five people, including a child, were killed and around 100 injured when a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck Bangladesh on Friday (21), the government said, with buildings damaged in many areas including the densely populated capital Dhaka.
Tremors were felt in eastern states in neighbouring India that border Bangladesh, but there were no immediate reports of major damage there, authorities said.
Muhammad Yunus, the head of Bangladesh's interim government, said the injured included students from Dhaka university, factory workers in the city of Gazipur and residents of Narsingdi, the epicenter of the earthquake.
His statement gave no details of how the five died. Police said earlier three people had been killed when the railing of a six-storey building collapsed during the earthquake.
Several of the injured taken to hospital from Narsingdi, about 40 km (25 miles) east of Dhaka, were in a critical condition, health adviser Nurjahan Begum told reporters.
Dhaka residents rushed out of their homes as buildings shook and some makeshift structures collapsed, Reuters witnesses said.
"We felt a strong jolt and buildings were shaking like trees," said resident Suman Rahman. "Staircases were jammed as people rushed down. Everyone was terrified, children were crying."
The fire department said some people had been injured when bricks and loose cement fell from buildings that were under construction.
"I have never felt such a tremor in my life. We were at the office when furniture started shaking. We rushed down the stairs on the street and saw other people on the road already," said Sadman Sakib, who works in Dhaka.
The government was closely monitoring the situation and had directed departments to intensify rescue operations in affected areas, Yunus' office said in the statement.
The shaking lasted for 26 seconds, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, which recorded the magnitude as 5.7.
"The situation is being closely monitored, and all relevant departments have been directed to immediately go to the field to assess any possible damages," Yunus said.
Yunus, an 85-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner, was selected after a mass uprising toppled the government in August 2024 to lead the country to elections slated for February 2026.
Strong tremors were felt as far as the Indian city of Kolkata, more than 325 kilometres away from the epicentre. However, there were no immediate reports of casualties or significant damage in India.
(Agencies)
