Magnitude 4.3 earthquake hits Bangladesh

An earthquake of 4.3 magnitude struck Bangladesh, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said on Friday (May 5).

In a Twitter Post, the EMSC said, "#Earthquake M4.3 occurred 14 km NE of #Dhaka (#Bangladesh) 33 min ago (local time 05:57:11)."

No causality or damage has been reported so far.

The independent organisation that provides earthquake information earlier mentioned that the quake was located 14km (8.7 miles) northeast of Bangladesh's capital city Dhaka at a magnitude of 4.3. The agency added that the earthquake was at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles), Reuters reported.

In December 2022, a moderate earthquake of 5.2 magnitudes on the Richter scale jolted Dhaka and other states of the South Asian country. Another quake of magnitude 4 was felt in the capital city on April 25.

Experts quoted by TBS News stated that Bangladesh has gone 130 years without a major earthquake.

One earthquake that occurred on July 18, 1918, known as the "Srimagal Earthquake," had a 7.6 magnitude, making it to the deadliest list as it caused severe damage in Srimanngal, but minor damages in Dhaka were experienced.

Most of the construction in Dhaka does not comply with the building code, said Dr Mehedi Ahemd Ansary, a professor at the Department of civil engineering of Buet who specialises in geotechnical and earthquake engineering.

This means the whole city will be at risk if there is a major earthquake, Ansary told The Dhaka Tribune newspaper.

He further predicted that if an earthquake of magnitude 7 hits the capital, at least 300,000 people may die.

According to experts, almost 90per cent of deaths from an earthquake happen when people are either trapped inside a building or if they do not know what to do when a quake strikes.

The South Asian country sits on three fault zones and three cities- Sylhet, Chittagong and Dhaka- are the three hot zones. Experts state that if a strong earthquake strikes any of these, it will cause massive destruction to the country and will cause hundreds and thousands of deaths.

What to do in case of an earthquake situation?

Take responsibility for your own safety first. Move away from windows and outside walls. If you are told to evacuate, go outside and gather at a pre-arranged space.

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