5.7 Quake in Bangladesh Kills 11, Injures Hundreds

By Mahbub Hasan Tutul,DHAKA, Bangladesh

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake shook Dhaka and several other parts of Bangladesh on Friday morning, killing at least 11 people and injuring more than 200, officials said. The quake struck between 10:38 a.m. and 10:39 a.m. and was felt strongly across the capital and surrounding districts. Although moderate in magnitude, the tremor was more intense than similar recent quakes, authorities said.

Health officials reported that over two hundred people sought treatment nationwide, many with serious injuries. Emergency medical teams have been deployed to hospitals across the country.

Four Killed in Dhaka:
In Dhaka’s Bangshal neighborhood, three pedestrians died when the railing of a five-story building collapsed in the Kasaituli area, police said.
The victims included a father and son Haji Abdul Rahim, 47, and Meherab Hossain Rimon, 13 and medical student Rafi, who had been shopping with his mother. His mother, Nusrat, was injured and remains hospitalized.

In a separate incident in the city’s Mugda area, Maksud, a security guard, died after a railing at a construction site collapsed. He was from Lakshmipur district.

Two Deaths in Narayanganj:
Authorities in Narayanganj’s Rupganj upazila said a woman died when a wall fell during the quake, injuring her daughter.
In another home in the same area, a one-year-old girl, Fatema, died when a tin-shed wall collapsed. Her mother and a neighbor were injured. Several others in the district were hurt, officials said.

Five Dead in Narsingdi:
Narsingdi, near the quake’s epicenter, recorded five deaths.
According to district officials, two victims Delwar Hossain Uzzal, 40, and his son Omar, 8 died when a sunshade collapsed.
Two others, ages 75 and 65, died after separate structural accidents triggered by the shaking. Another man, 45, died after suffering a panic-induced heart attack, medical staff said.

Google’s Earthquake Alert System indicated the epicenter was about 7 kilometers from Ghorashal in Narsingdi district.

Chief Adviser Offers Condolences:
Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus expressed “deep shock and sorrow” over the loss of life and damage.
He offered prayers for the victims and sympathy to their families, and directed authorities to intensify rescue and relief operations in affected areas.