Earthquake felt in Dhaka, other areas, epicenter in Myanmar

An earthquake was felt in various parts of the country, including the capital, Dhaka. The tremors were experienced twice after 9:30 PM on Tuesday.

Both earthquakes originated from Myanmar. On the Richter scale, the magnitudes of the two earthquakes were 5.9 and 5.2, respectively.

According to sources from the Earthquake Observation Center of the Meteorological Department, the earthquake was felt in many places across the country. Assistant meteorologist Farzana Sultana told Prothom Alo that the first tremor occurred at 9:34:01 PM Bangladesh time, with a magnitude of 5.9 on the Richter scale. Another tremor occurred at 9:51 PM, with a magnitude of 5.2.

The Meteorological Office reported that the epicenter of the first earthquake was in Mingdu, Myanmar, located 521 kilometers from Dhaka. The office is trying to determine the distance of the second area.

Earthquake expert and Dhaka University professor Humayun Akhter stated to Prothom Alo that the area in Myanmar where the earthquake occurred is a seismic-prone area. It falls within a subduction zone, which does not have significant effects in Bangladesh.

Researchers refer to the junction of two plates as a subduction zone, meaning one plate goes beneath another. In Bangladesh, this subduction zone extends from Sylhet to the hilly regions of Cox''s Bazar.

Humayun Akhter mentioned that this subduction zone is 1,400 kilometers long and about 500 kilometers wide.

An earthquake was also felt in the southwestern district of Satkhira today. According to the Earthquake Observation Center of the Meteorological Department, this tremor was felt at 4:36:46 AM.

The epicenter of this earthquake was in the coastal district of Satkhira, in the Kalaroa Upazila. On the Richter scale, its magnitude was 4.1.