Earthquake felt across the country again

A mild earthquake measuring 3.0 on the Richter scale was felt in different parts of the country. India’s National Centre for Seismology said the tremor struck early Sunday (February 1), at around 4:00am.

According to the NCS, the earthquake originated at a depth of 20 kilometres below the earth’s surface. Its epicentre was located at latitude 24.85 degrees north and longitude 92.07 degrees east, within Bangladesh.

In a post on social media platform X, the agency said the 3.0-magnitude tremor was recorded at 4:02:32am.

Meanwhile, volcano and earthquake monitoring organisation Volcano Discovery reported that the epicentre was about 21 kilometres from Sylhet city. The earthquake struck at 4:02am local time, GMT plus 6, and had a depth of around 20 kilometres, or 12 miles, which is considered relatively shallow.

However, there were no reports of strong shaking, damage or casualties. Relevant sources said that due to the low magnitude, the earthquake did not cause significant panic among the general public.

Because of its geological setting, Bangladesh is considered an earthquake-prone country. It is located at the junction of three active tectonic plates—the Indian, Eurasian and Burma plates. The Indian plate is moving northeastward at a rate of about six centimetres per year, while the Eurasian plate is advancing northward at about two centimetres per year, increasing seismic risk in the region.

Several active fault lines lie in and around Bangladesh, including the Bogra fault, Tripura fault, Shillong Plateau, Dauki fault and Assam fault. Considering these factors, the country has been divided into 13 seismic zones. Among them, Chattogram, the Chattogram Hill Tracts and the Jaintapur region of Sylhet are considered the most vulnerable.

The capital Dhaka, one of the most densely populated cities in the world, is also regarded as particularly sensitive to earthquake risk. With more than 30,000 people living per square kilometre, experts believe any major earthquake could have severe consequences for the city.