A 5.6-magnitude earthquake jolted various parts of the country Saturday morning, shaking buildings and houses.
Panicked over the earthquake, residents left houses and took shelter on streets. No causality has been reported so far.
The earthquake struck Bangladesh at 9:35 am local time. Along with Dhaka, earthquakes were also reported from Chattogram, Rajshahi, Sylhet, Rangpur, Chuadanga, Noakhali, Kushtia, Faridpur, Sherpur, Patuakhali, Chandpur, Feni, Narayanganj and Bogura.
The epicenter of the quake was 8 kilometers east-north-west of Ramganj in Lakshmipur, Bangladesh Metrological Department (BMD) on-duty official Rabiul Haque told Prothom Alo. The tremor had a magnitude of 5.6 on Richter scale.
According to the United States Geological Survey, the epicenter of the quake was 8 kilometers east-north-west of Ramganj in Lakshmipur.
School teacher Gias Uddin, from Lakshminarayanpur area of Noakhali town, was at home when the earthquake stuck. He told Pothom Alo their four-storied building started shaking all of a sudden due to the tremor, leaving the family members panicked. So, they left the house and took shelter on streets. However, their building sustained no damage by the earthquake, he added.
Ibrahim Hossain, from Charpata village of Raipura upazila in Lakshimpur, said he was sitting at a tea stall when a tremor was felt. He went out on the street and saw water waving in the nearby pond.
Prothom Alo’s Correspondent in Narayanganj, Golam Rabbani was inside a multi-storied building in the city’s Kashipur when the earthquake hit. As the building houses several factories including apparel factories, people started screaming.
Golam Rabbani said several apparel workers were also seen leaving the building hurriedly and stood in front of the building, and, at one point, a woman said loudly, “If the building collapses, where we will stand.”
Noakhali deputy commissioner Dewan Mahbubur Rhaman told Prothom Alo he was outside and suddenly the tremor was felt. However, they received no report of causality immediately, he added.
Ramganj police station officer-in-charge (OC) Mohammad Solaiman told Prothom Alo the earthquake had a huge intensity, but they are yet to receive any report of causality.
Prothom Alo’s Staff Correspondents and Correspondents reported from the respective areas.