Death Toll Hits 10 After 5.7-Magnitude Earthquake Near Dhaka, Bangladesh
5.7-magnitude earthquake near Dhaka kills 10, injures over 100, and sparks widespread panic.
A powerful earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale struck near Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Friday at 10:38 a.m. local time, resulting in the deaths of at least 10 people and injuring over 100 across the capital and surrounding districts. The epicenter was located approximately 10 kilometers beneath the surface in Narsingdi, about 13 kilometers east of central Dhaka. The tremor caused widespread panic as buildings swayed, fires broke out, and residents rushed out of their homes and workplaces.
The hardest-hit areas include Narsingdi, where five fatalities were reported, Dhaka with four deaths, and Narayanganj with one casualty. In the industrial town of Gazipur near Dhaka, approximately 100 workers sustained injuries while evacuating factories and other facilities. Structural damages were apparent, with some buildings tilting dangerously in Dhaka’s older neighborhoods like Old Dhaka and posh residential areas such as Baridhara experiencing fires linked to the quake.
Eyewitness accounts describe devastating scenes where railings and debris from multi-story buildings collapsed onto bystanders. Among the victims were an eight-year-old boy and a medical student, highlighting the tragedy's human toll. Hospitals reported a surge of patients, including critically injured individuals requiring emergency surgery. Authorities deployed fire services and rescue teams to control fires and stabilize damaged structures, emphasizing that timely evacuation helped prevent further loss of life.
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Experts warn that the region is seismically active due to tectonic plate boundaries, with Bangladesh long considered vulnerable to a major earthquake. Seismologists noted that an earthquake of this magnitude so close to Dhaka is unprecedented and called the event an alarm bell for the country. They caution that a stronger or longer-lasting quake could have caused catastrophic building collapses given the area's dense population and variable construction standards.
The Bangladesh government is monitoring the situation closely and coordinating relief and rescue efforts. In the aftermath, many residents remain anxious as small aftershocks continue to be felt. The earthquake serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for improved infrastructure resilience and disaster preparedness in Bangladesh’s rapidly growing urban centers.
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