Sylhet Nursing College hostel evacuated after it develops cracks in quake

Sylhet Nursing College authorities have asked students to vacate the women’s hostel after walls of the building developed cracks during the recent earthquake.

On Saturday morning, 374 resident students were asked to leave the four-storey building.

During a visit to the college around 12pm, bdnews24.com correspondent saw students leaving the hostel with their belongings.

Principal Shilpi Chakrabarty said they had asked the students to vacate the building as they were in panic since the cracks had developed.

Sylhet MG Osmani Medical College Hospital’s director and several high ranking officials visited the hostel after the 7.2 magnitude earthquake jolted the district on April 13.

After the visit, they said students could continue to stay in the building as it was apparently safe, she added.

Chakrabarty added that engineers had later examined the cracks and they too certified that the building was safe.

Students Tamanna Islam and Nasima Akter said that after Wednesday’s quake at least 50 cracks had developed in the building.

They were vacating the building as plaster started to chip off from the walls after it rained on Saturday, they said.

Though there are 250 seats in the hostel building, at present 378 students are residing in it.