Dhaka : At least five people, including a child, were killed and around 100 injured when a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck Bangladesh on Friday, 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.
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.
Map showing the epicenter of a magnitude 5.5 earthquake near Narsingdi, Bangladesh, with surrounding shake intensity zones.
“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.
The government was closely monitoring the situation and had directed departments to intensify rescue operations in affected areas, Yunus’ office said in the statement.
