A 5.7 magnitude earthquake shook central Bangladesh shaking the major districts of Dhaka, Gazipur and Narsingdi and creating panic. The shallow quake, which was captured with a depth of approximately 10 km, had led to at least 10 deaths and hundreds of injuries as the buildings trembled, the walls collapsed, and people came rushing out of the buildings in panic. These tremors were so powerful that they felt them across the border in India including Kolkata and Northeast India. Experts have now described the event as a big red flag because Bangladesh is still experiencing surging seismic risks and escalating frequencies of tremors in recent days.
Rising Toll and Widespread Structural Impact
Earthquake jolts central Bangladesh have become the most-searched term in the local media as the number of casualties keeps increasing. Official reports indicated that the majority of the deaths resulted because of collapsing walls, falling railings and stampedes as citizens sought refuge against shaky structures. The greatest number of deaths was reported in Narsingdi district.
Hospitals in Dhaka and central Bangladesh received hundreds of injured inhabitants, who had fractures, head injuries, and other symptoms of trauma. The structural cracks in dozens of residential and commercial buildings were reported by emergency workers, particularly in the older buildings that do not have the modern seismic resistance features.
Kolkata, according to the Indian weather officials, experienced tremors in a very vast geographical range. The quake also caused four other tremors in a span of 32 hours which again brought about the concerns of aftershocks or foreshocks.
Experts Warn of Higher Seismic Danger Ahead
The Bangladesh earthquake preparedness and seismic risk Bangladesh signify growing panic among seismologists. The recent expert analysis indicates that the country is being put under dangerous threats due to the large population and unplanned urbanisation. It is likely that the occurrence of the Dauki fault and continuous tectonic stress under the IndiaBangladesh plate boundary lead to a high probability of more powerful earthquakes.
This event, experts predict, can be described as a foreshock, that is, the risk of a bigger earthquake should not be excluded. Reports mentioning the sequence of tremors lasting 32 hours and more reveal that Bangladesh is approaching a state of unstable seismic activity.
The infrastructure in Dhaka, with an unregulated number of buildings is also an issue. Engineers recommend that structural tests, retrofitting of the old residential blocks and imposition of the earthquake resistant building codes should be put into force.
Quick inspections in high-density areas have already commenced by the public safety agencies and the teams of fire service as well as the local administrations are at high alert. The citizens have been advised to stay away and not use buildings that are clearly damaged until clearance is done by the authorities.
The quake has sparked a new debate on the pressing need to enhance preparedness systems, better coordination of government agencies and speed up earthquake drills at community level to reduce the number of casualties in case of future occurrence.
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