Three injured as students leap from halls at Dhaka University amid quake panic

Three students of Dhaka University have been injured after they leapt from the three-storey Hajji Muhammad Mohsin Hall and the four-storey Muktijoddha Ziaur Rahman Hall in panic as a strong quake rattled Bangladesh on Friday.

A student from Muktijoddha Ziaur Rahman Hall is believed to have broken their leg and has been rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for treatment.

Tanzir Ahmed, a student living in Hajji Muhammad Mohsin Hall and in the 2018-19 academic year at the Department of Mass Media and Journalism, and another student from the same hall and academic year in the Department of Theatre and Performance were injured after leaping off the building.

The tremor also threw the furniture and objects in a room at Sir AF Rahman Hall into disarray.

Abdullah Al Mamun, a student residing at the hall, said: “Room No. 105 has been thrown into complete disarray after the earthquake. We came and saw that everything was on the floor.”

Many students rushed outside from university buildings amid the quake panic.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) says a magnitude 5.5 quake hit 14km west-southwest of Bangladesh’s Narsingdi at a depth of 10km around 10:38am local time.

The tremor jolted Dhaka residents, who hurried outside. The Fire Service has yet to provide information on the number of casualties or extent of the damage.