Mild earthquake jolts Dhaka, other parts of country

A mild earthquake jolted the capital Dhaka and various other parts of the country on Tuesday morning, causing panic among many who rushed out of their homes and offices.

The tremor was felt around 11:41 am and lasted for a few seconds.

The Earthquake Monitoring and Research Centre of the Meteorological Department said the epicentre of the earthquake was in Bhaluka area of Mymensingh. Its magnitude was 3.4 on the Richter scale.

Rubaiyat Kabir, acting director of the centre, said the earthquake was mild and there was no cause for alarm.

The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre, however, reported that the tremor was felt around 11:42 am with a magnitude of 3.6. Its epicentre was about 29 kilometres north-east of Mirzapur in Tangail.

According to EMSC, the earthquake was located about 47 kilometres south of Mymensingh and 22 kilometres north-east of Sakhipur, at a depth of about 10 kilometres.

Experts say Bangladesh is one of the most earthquake-prone regions, located at the junction of three tectonic plates: the Indian, Eurasian and Burmese plates. While occasional earthquakes are normal, the recent increase in the frequency of quakes originating within the country is a cause for concern.