by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
DHAKA (Worthy News) – A strong 5.5-magnitude earthquake shook central Bangladesh on Friday, killing at least eight people and injuring more than 300, authorities and local media said, as buildings in the capital Dhaka swayed violently and panicked residents fled into the streets.
The quake struck at 10:38 a.m. local time with an epicenter in the Ghorashal area of Narsingdi district, roughly 25 kilometers (16 miles) northeast of Dhaka. The U.S. Geological Survey said the shallow temblor had a depth of just 10 kilometers (6 miles), magnifying its impact across the densely populated region.
Three people – including two children – were killed in Dhaka’s historic Armanitola neighborhood when railings collapsed as they were shopping at a butcher’s shop, local broadcaster DBC said.
In nearby Gazipur, hundreds of garment-factory workers were injured after they rushed out of swaying buildings in a chaotic stampede.
LOUD NOISE
“I heard a loud noise and saw that some bricks had fallen, and I saw some people injured also,” said Dhaka resident Mohammed Arif, who was near one of the damaged buildings.
Another witness, office worker Sadman Sakib, told the media: “I have never felt such a tremor in my life. Furniture started shaking. We ran down the stairs and saw people already standing in the street.”
Tremors were also felt across the border in India, including in the eastern city of Kolkata, where residents reported light shaking.
Although Bangladesh’s northern and southeastern regions lie closer to major tectonic boundaries, the central area, including Dhaka, remains highly vulnerable due to rapid urbanization and weak construction standards.
NO SAFEGUARDS
Dhaka alone has an estimated 2.1 million buildings, many of them built without adequate seismic safeguards, prompting long-standing concerns among engineers and disaster-risk specialists.
According to U.S. Geological Survey data, only about 14 earthquakes of magnitude 5.5 or greater have struck within 250 kilometers of Friday’s epicenter since 1950 — but experts warn that even moderate quakes pose a severe risk in a country with fragile infrastructure and extremely high population density.
Hospitals across Dhaka and surrounding districts treated hundreds of injured people, many hurt by falling debris or during stampedes as buildings shook. Authorities said damage assessments were underway and warned residents to be prepared for possible aftershocks.
Experts say Bangladesh, which has experienced deadly earthquakes in past centuries — including the destructive 1885 Bengal quake — remains at risk of a significant seismic event that could cripple urban centers if building practices are not strengthened.
Officials said the death toll could rise as search and rescue teams continue their assessments and as information from rural and industrial districts is consolidated.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
Republicans have received a major boost in the battle for House control after a series of court rulings dramatically shifted the redistricting landscape ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the war against Iran is “not over,” declaring that Israel and its allies must ensure Tehran’s remaining enriched uranium and nuclear-enrichment infrastructure are removed or dismantled before the threat can be considered neutralized.
British paratroopers and military medics were deployed to the world’s most remote inhabited island after a suspected hantavirus case linked to a deadly cruise ship outbreak triggered international health concerns.
The United States endured its worst spring drought on record last month, with more than 60% of the lower 48 states experiencing moderate drought or worse conditions, according to federal monitoring agencies. The rapidly intensifying crisis is raising concerns over food prices, agricultural production, and an already severe wildfire season stretching across multiple regions of the country.
U.S. President Donald J. Trump and Iran rejected each other’s latest peace proposals aimed at ending the 10-week war, sending the U.S. dollar higher against major currencies as investors sought safety amid renewed Middle East uncertainty.
A tense calm settled over Moscow Sunday after Russia’s annual Victory Day Parade was overshadowed by fears of Ukrainian drone and “terror attacks,” with the Kremlin reportedly increasingly concerned about the security of President Vladimir Putin following a rare strike on the Russian capital.
Senior Trump administration official Ambassador Monica Crowley declared this week that the American public will soon receive concrete evidence supporting President Donald Trump’s claim that he won the 2020 presidential election in a landslide — a statement that signals the administration is moving from assertion to action on one of the most contested issues in recent American political history.