Bangladesh quake strikes hard, leaving ten dead sadly.
Officials reported four deaths in Dhaka, five in Narsingdi’s epicentre, and one in nearby Narayanganj’s river port town.
Dhaka: At least 10 people were killed and more than a hundred injured after a powerful 5.7-magnitude earthquake jolted Dhaka and several other parts of Bangladesh on Friday morning. The tremor, which struck at 10:38 am (local time), shook buildings, triggered fires, and sent thousands of residents running into the streets in fear. For many, it was one of the most terrifying moments in recent memory—an abrupt reminder of how fragile life can feel in a city as densely populated as Dhaka.
Officials confirmed that four of the victims died in the capital. Five others were killed in Narsingdi, the quake’s epicentre, and another person died in Narayanganj, a busy river port town on Dhaka’s outskirts. The losses were sudden and scattered, reflecting how violently the ground shifted across regions.
Media reports painted an even broader picture of the chaos. In Gazipur, an industrial town just outside Dhaka, at least 100 workers were injured as they scrambled to escape factory buildings. Many were hurt in stampedes or struck by falling objects as they rushed down stairways and through narrow exits. Videos shared on local news channels showed frightened workers gathering in open fields, some crying, others trying to contact loved ones on crowded phone networks.
According to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, the quake’s epicentre lay about 10 kilometres beneath the surface in Narsingdi, roughly 13 kilometres east of Dhaka’s seismic monitoring centre in Agargaon. While the magnitude was not extremely high by global standards, the quake’s shallow depth and proximity to densely populated areas made it especially dangerous.
Tragedy unfolded in Old Dhaka’s Armanitola neighbourhood, where Deputy Police Commissioner Mallik Ahsan Uddin Sami reported that at least three people were killed by falling debris. A railing, bamboo scaffolding, and parts of a five-storey building came crashing down within seconds of the tremor. Among the victims was a young medical student who had gone to buy meat with his mother. She survived but was critically injured and rushed into emergency surgery. The news of his death cast a pall over the area, where neighbours and shopkeepers described him as a gentle, hardworking student with a bright future.
Another victim in Dhaka was a 50-year-old private security guard who died when a building wall collapsed on him. He had reportedly been helping residents evacuate when the structure gave way. His colleagues later told reporters that he often took extra shifts to support his family.
In Narsingdi, local authorities reported five deaths and at least four critical injuries, including a young boy and his father. Residents described scenes of panic as walls cracked, tiles shattered, and shelves toppled inside homes and shops. Several people were injured while trying to shield children or elderly relatives during the shaking.
Reports also indicated that the quake sparked fires and caused structural damage in several other districts, including Munshiganj, Rajshahi, and Chattogram. Fire service officials worked throughout the day to put out flames, inspect damaged buildings, and rescue people trapped under debris. While many fires were brought under control quickly, residents in some areas spent hours outside, too afraid to return home.
Seismologists have long warned that Bangladesh sits on active tectonic plate boundaries, making earthquakes an ever-present threat. The country’s soft soil, dense population, and widespread informal construction add to its vulnerability. Experts frequently caution that a large-scale quake—one capable of causing catastrophic damage—is not a question of “if” but “when.”
This event, they say, should serve as a wake-up call. According to meteorology department officials, an earthquake of this intensity occurring so close to Dhaka is unprecedented. They added that had the shaking continued for just five to seven seconds longer, the death toll and number of collapsed buildings could have been dramatically higher.
As rescue workers continue assessing damage and treating the injured, Friday’s quake leaves Bangladesh with difficult questions. How prepared is the country for a larger disaster? Are its buildings strong enough? And what more must be done to protect one of the world’s most densely populated regions?
For now, the focus remains on the victims—the families mourning sudden losses, the injured receiving treatment in crowded hospitals, and the thousands who spent Friday night unable to sleep, still shaken by the memory of the earth moving beneath their feet.