‘Bangladesh hasn’t seen a quake as strong as this in years,’ says geologist

Geologist Dr Syed Humayun Akhter has described the earthquake that jolted Dhaka and other parts of Bangladesh on Friday as the strongest to strike the country in recent years.

The 5.7-magnitude tremor was centred in Narsingdi's Madhabdi, around 13km from Dhaka, at a depth of 10km. The shaking lasted roughly 26 seconds and sent people rushing onto the streets in panic.

"The earthquake occurred at the junction of two plates on the Indo-Burma tectonic plate. The intensity of the tremors was quite high. There was a lot of damage," said Dr Humayun, a retired professor and former supervisor of Dhaka University’s Earth Observatory.

“This is the strongest tremor felt in the country in recent times.”

At least six people, including two children, died in incidents related to the earthquake in Dhaka, Narayanganj and Narsingdi. Many more were injured.

Bangladesh sits close to the meeting points of several major tectonic plates. The Indian and Eurasian plates converge to the north, while the Indian and Burmese plates meet to the east. Dr Humayun said the country is slowly being pushed by these movements.

“The energy was locked -- it was stuck. It has begun to release now. There could be more earthquakes in the future after a gap,” he added.

Dr Humayun urged authorities and the public to prioritise earthquake preparedness. 

“The only way out is to have safety drills -- training people on how to take shelter in safe places during an earthquake. We cannot change the country’s infrastructure, so drills are essential.”

He warned that unplanned urbanisation has made Dhaka particularly vulnerable. 

“There hasn’t been a major earthquake this close to Dhaka in decades. A few generations haven't experienced such an earthquake.”

Although Bangladesh has experienced several mild to moderate tremors in recent years, none matched Friday’s strength.

However, there have been a few strong earthquakes in the last 300 years, with their origins within the country or in surrounding areas.

A powerful 8.5 magnitude earthquake occurred in 1762 on a fault line stretching about 400 kilometres from Teknaf to Myanmar.

That earthquake caused the Saint Martin's Island to rise up by about 3 metres from previously submerged land.