At least five people, including a child, were killed and more than 100 injured after a 5.7-magnitude earthquake jolted central Bangladesh on Friday morning, damaging buildings in the capital Dhaka, authorities said.
The earthquake struck in the Ghorashal area of Narsingdi district, nearly 25km from Dhaka, at a shallow depth of 10km, according to the US Geological Survey. Three pedestrians were killed when building railings fell on them in the capital, police said, adding that several people were injured in isolated incidents of parts of buildings coming loose.
Two of the victims died on the spot while another succumbed to injuries after being taken to Mitford Hospital, Dhaka police officer Ashish Kumar Ghosh said. It was not immediately known how the other two victims died and where.
The ongoing test cricket match between Bangladesh and Ireland was briefly halted after the tremors jolted the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. “Goodness. Play has stopped here due to a minor tremor/earthquake,” Cricket Ireland said on X.
Muhammad Yunus, head of the South Asian country's interim government, urged people to remain calm as authorities assessed the damage. “Everyone is urged to remain alert and not pay attention to any kind of rumours or misinformation,” he said in a statement. Tremors were also felt across the border in several Indian cities, though no damage was reported.
