Major earthquake strikes Bangladesh, five dead, dozens injured

Dhaka, November 21 -- At least five individuals lost their lives, while numerous others, including children and senior citizens, sustained i...

Dhaka, November 21 -- At least five individuals lost their lives, while numerous others, including children and senior citizens, sustained injuries when a 5.7-magnitude earthquake hit Dhaka and various other regions of the country early on Friday morning.

Thirteen individuals were hurt when a building's railing gave way on them in the Koshaituli section of Armanitola, according to Mallik Ahsan Uddin Sami, deputy commissioner of the DMP's Lalbagh Division.

They were brought to Sir Salimullah Medical College (Mitford) Hospital, where doctors confirmed the death of three individuals upon their arrival, according to Shahjahan Sikder, deputy assistant director of the Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) headquarters media cell.

The deceased included Abdur Rahim, aged 47, his son Abdul Aziz Rimon, and medical student Rafiul Islam Rafi.

The injured who are still alive are being treated at the hospital, he added.

In addition, at least 18 individuals were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) from various areas of the capital after the earthquake.

Md Faruk, head of the DMCH police post, stated that the injured were receiving care in the Emergency Department and cautioned that the death count might increase.

In the meantime, various fire service teams in Dhaka and surrounding regions handled a number of structural alarm calls and small incidents.

In the Kasaituli neighborhood of Armanitola, bricks and plaster collapsed from the wall and cornice of an eight-story building situated above a beef store, causing injuries to shoppers and pedestrians.

Residents quickly transported the injured to Mitford Hospital before firefighters arrived.

In Khilgaon, a person walking by sustained injuries after a brick dropped from a building under construction hit a nearby two-story building.

Residents helped the injured person, and fire department officials stated that no action was needed.

Two fire department units from Baridhara Fire Station were sent to the scene following a fire that occurred at a house in Block-F, Road-5. The reason for the fire remains undetermined.

Accounts of tilting structures were also reported from Swamibagh in Sutrapur and Abedkhali Road in Kalabagan, leading to additional unit reinforcements.

Later officials verified that the buildings remained undamaged, noting that locals had sounded the alert due to anxiety.

Reports of casualties and injuries also emerged from various other districts, such as Gazipur and Narsingdi.

In Narsingdi, two individuals, one of whom was a child, lost their lives and another person was hurt when walls collapsed on them during an earthquake in Narsingdi Sadar and Palash upazilas on Friday morning.

The deceased included Kazam Ali, 70, from Malita village in Palash upazila, and Omar Faruk, 10, the son of Delwar Hossain Ujjal in the Gabtali area of Sadar upazila.

Ujjal was also hurt in the event. Omar was a pupil at a Hefz madrasa in the vicinity.

The father, who works as an office assistant at the National Housing Authority, is receiving treatment in the Intensive Care Unit at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Omar's body is being stored in the hospital's morgue, as confirmed by Md Faruk.

Kazam was killed instantly when a wall fell on him while he was asleep during the earthquake, according to his relatives.

Over 100 additional people were hurt in Narsingdi, with many sustaining injuries as they hurried out of their houses, according to eyewitnesses.

They are being treated at Narsingdi Sadar Hospital, as stated by Resident Medical Officer Farida Parvin.

Over a hundred garment workers sustained injuries while evacuating multiple factories in Tongi, Gazipur Sadar, and Sreepur in Gazipur during the earthquake.

Officials have now shut down the factories to manage the circumstances.