Myanmar earthquake rocks Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh

Several buildings in Teknaf develop cracks as Myanmar quake rocks Cox’s Bazar

Al-Amin, a local resident, says that he has never witnessed an earthquake of such magnitude in his life

A magnitude 4.1 earthquake with the epicentre in Myanmar has shaken Cox’s Bazar, causing cracks in several buildings at Teknaf.

However, no casualties have been reported.

The earthquake was felt at 4:39 pm on Saturday, said Assistant Meteorologist Abdur Rahman at the regional office of the Meteorological Department.

He said the earthquake's epicentre was traced to Myanmar at latitude 20.90 degrees and longitude 92.33 degrees, some 377 km south-southeast of Dhaka.

Pictures of the cracks in the Teknaf Upazila Fisheries Office have gone viral on social media. Damage in several houses have also been reported.

Delwar Hossain, a senior fisheries officer of the upazila, said, "I left the office early as I felt the earthquake in the afternoon. Later, I found cracks in some places of the office building."

Didarul Alam, a Teknaf municipal resident, said there were a few small earthquakes in the last six to seven years but he never felt a major tremor like the latest one.

Although no significant damage was reported, Didarul said that his house developed a crack.

According to Al Amin, a local, the latest earthquake was the largest he had ever experienced. He expressed concern about the unplanned construction of buildings in the area, stating that it posed a high risk of damage during earthquakes.

Mukul Kumar Nath, an official at Teknaf Fire Station, said there were no reports of damage immediately.

Officials were surveying the affected areas to assess potential impacts, he said.