Kolkata/Dhaka: A significant 5.7-magnitude earthquake struck Bangladesh on Friday morning, claiming at least six lives in the nation’s capital. The shockwaves rippled across the border, causing strong tremors in Kolkata, West Bengal, and several northeastern Indian states, prompting residents to rush out of their homes in panic.
Casualties Reported in Dhaka
According to the National Center for Seismology (NCS), the quake struck at 10:08 AM (IST). The epicenter was located approximately 10 to 13 kilometers from Narsingdi and Dhaka, originating at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers.
In Bangladesh, the impact was deadly. Citing local reports from DBC Television, at least six fatalities have been confirmed in Dhaka:
- Three individuals were killed following the collapse of a building roof and wall.
- Three pedestrians lost their lives after being struck by falling railings.
Panic in West Bengal and the Northeast
While no injuries or casualties have been reported in India, the tremors were felt intensely across the eastern region.
In Kolkata, daily life was disrupted as high-rises shook. Residents described seeing ceiling fans and wall fixtures swaying violently. Fearing structural collapse, many evacuated their apartments and office buildings to gather in open streets.
Social media platforms were flooded with visuals and personal accounts of the event:
- One resident on X (formerly Twitter) described it as the “most intense earthquake” of their life, stating that “Kolkata was shuddering like a fragile plastic tunnel.”
- Others reported that the shaking lasted for approximately 30 seconds, with some users noting the tremors were strong enough to wake them from sleep.
Beyond Kolkata, the tremors extended to West Bengal districts such as Cooch Behar, Uttar Dinajpur, and Dakshin Dinajpur. The quake was also felt across the northeastern states, specifically in:
- Meghalaya: Tura and Cherrapunjee
- Tripura: Dharmanagar
- Mizoram: Aizawl
Regional Seismic Activity
This event follows a series of tremors in the broader region. The NCS reported two separate earthquakes in Pakistan recently:
- A 3.9-magnitude quake occurred on Thursday at a shallow depth of 10 km.
- A 5.2-magnitude quake struck earlier on Friday, though at a much greater depth of 135 km.
Seismologists warn that shallow earthquakes—like the one in Bangladesh—are generally more dangerous than deep-seated ones because the seismic waves have a shorter distance to travel to the surface, often resulting in severe ground shaking and structural damage.
Northern India and its neighboring countries (Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh) sit on one of the world’s most seismically active zones, defined by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates.
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