Staff Reporter :
A schoolgirl and an old man died in Sunamganj district when an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.5 on the Richter Scale jolted different parts of the country, including capital Dhaka, on Tuesday afternoon. It caused panic among the people.
The epicentre of the earthquake was in Bangladesh-India border area, near Khagrachhari and 176 km east of Dhaka’s Agargaon Seismic Centre. The quake was felt at 3:09pm, an official of Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) said.
According to the U.S. Geological Service, the tremor took place at a depth of 36 kilometres and 19 kilometres northeast of Ambasa region of neighbouring Tripura State of India.
The schoolgirl fell down from stair as she desperately tried to rush out of her home in Chhatak Upazila of Sunamganj district during the quake. An old man also died of a heart attack during the tremor in Jagannathpur Upazila of the district.
The deceased girl was identified as Saima Akhter, 12, a student of Class eight of Chhatak Cement Factory High School and daughter of Shamsul Haque, a resident of the factory area.
Police said Saima fell down from stair of a four storied building and injured critically while she was coming out of the building desperately.
Saima was rushed to Chhatak Upazila Sadar Hospital where on the duty doctors declared her dead.
Hiron Mia, 60, died of a heart attack during the earthquake at village Hashampur of Jagannathpur Upazila of the district.
Besides, three people, injured in panic rush in different areas of the district, were admitted to Osmani Medical College and Hospital yesterday.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Geological Service said 99 percent of the people in and around the region should be safe after the 5.5 magnitude earthquake.
Witnesses said windows were trembling and there was panic among the residents.
Dhaka city dwellers felt the tremor around 3:09pm. The tremors initially felt were dim, followed by some strong ones before dying out. The tremors lasted for about a minute.
In capital Dhaka, people were seen running out on to the street in panic. People living in high-rise buildings came out of their respective apartments or offices in panic following the earthquake.
Salma Huq, a resident of city’s Uttara area said she with her husband and wailing children moved to a nearby open space following the tremor.
“It terrified me. I was having difficulty breathing or walking,” she said, adding her husband carried her out of the house.
