Earthquake jolts country

More than 60 people were slightly hurt, mostly while rushing out of buildings in Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet, after a powerful earthquake struck Myanmar and jolted Bangladesh last night.

The 6.9 magnitude quake also shook Dhaka, other parts of the country and also India, spreading panic. At least nine buildings tilted in Chittagong and Feni, our correspondents say.

“The tremor was felt at 7:55pm in Bangladesh and its epicentre in Myanmar was 420km east of Dhaka city,” Dhaka Met office Meteorologist Abul Kamal Malliq told The Daily Star by phone.

The US Geological Survey measured the quake 6.9 on the Richter Scale although the Met office in Dhaka says it was a 7.2-magnitude quake.

The quake, which was 134km deep, hit some 396km north northwest of the Myanmar capital Naypyidaw, according to the USGS.

In Dhaka, at least four people, including a Dhaka University student, suffered minor injuries while running out of the buildings for safety.  

In Chittagong, more than 50 people were injured during the earthquake as they jostled to come out of multi-storey buildings in different areas of the port city and Chittagong University areas.

Of those, 21 were admitted to Chittagong Medical College Hospital and the rest were given primary treatment at local hospitals for minor injuries. 

A building, right, leans on the other building on Jubilee Road near New Market in Chittagong city after a powerful earthquake struck Myanmar last night. Photo: Star

Two Chittagong University students -- Md Raihan and Masum -- were injured when they jumped from their halls in panic.

Masum took primary treatment at the university health centre and Raihan was taken to the CMCH. 

MA Malek, deputy assistant director at Agrabad Fire Service and Civil Defence office, said they had reports of eight buildings being tilted in Sagarica, Halishahar, Love Lane, Nandankanon Jesico Lane and Jubelee road.

Locals said another five-storey building tilted in GEC area.

A woman, who was injured while running to safety, being treated at Chittagong Medical College Hospital. Photo: Star

Abul Kalam Azad, officer-in-charge of EPZ Police Station, said 40 garment workers of different factories in Chittagong Export Processing Zone were injured as they tried to jostle through the stairs of the building. Night shifts were on at the time.

Three of them were admitted to the CMCH and the rest were given primary treatment at BEPZA hospital, said the OC.

At the port city's Oxygen area, 10 workers, including nine women, of a garment factory were injured when they were running for cover.

They were taken to the CMCH, officials said.  

Nurul Huq, a worker, was injured when a three feet high boundary wall fell on his leg at Kalshi Dighi. He too was sent to the CMCH.

In Feni, a four-storey building at Sultanpur tilted but no one was injured. The local administration evacuated the building immediately.

In Sylhet, at least 10 people, including two women, were injured while trying to get out of the buildings. They were admitted to Osmani Medical College Hospital.

In March 2011, at least 75 people died when a powerful earthquake hit Myanmar near its borders with Laos and Thailand.