4 killed, 18 Bangladesh districts affected in earthquake, says govt

Eighteen districts of Bangladesh have been affected in Saturday’s earthquake, which were felt in almost all corners of the country, says disaster management and relief ministry.

According to the ministry’s Disaster Response Centre, four people died in as many districts.

It said at least 200 people were injured during evacuation and 17 buildings had either tilted or cracked.

The centre disclosed the primary information of the tremor damages in a press conference at the Secretariat on Sunday.

Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya and Secretary Md Shah Kamal spoke at the press call.

Over 2,300 people died in Nepal, mostly in capital Kathmandu, in Saturday’s 7.8 magnitude earthquake that shacked up India and Bangladesh too.

A day later, a tremor measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale occurred near Kathmandu.

Maya urged all to remain alert to minimise quake damage.

Secretary Kamal said a six-storey staff quarters at Old Dhaka caved in while a readymade garment factory in Narayanganj, a building in Dhaka’s Mirpur and another at Baridhara tilted in the tremor.

Engineers will determine what to do with the cracked and tilted buildings, he said.

The official said Zahed Begum, 22, died after jumping from Dhaka Medical College in panic. A woman died while evacuating from a building in Tangail’s Mirzapur.

Another woman, 55, was killed under a collapsed wall while a schoolteacher died of heart attack during the earthquake.

Around 70 workers of Al Muslim Garments, 12 of a Mission Group factory at Savar and about 50 of Cardena Garment at Comilla EPZ were injured during evacuation.

The secretary said Tk 1.59 billion was being sent to Nepal for the tremor victims.

Fire service said they did not receive any information that any building cracked of tilted in Sunday’s tremor.