Bangladesh 5.5-magnitude earthquake – what we know so far

EXPLAINER

At slightest 5 radical killed successful deadly earthquake adjacent to the superior metropolis Dhaka connected Friday.

A almighty earthquake shook Bangladesh adjacent to the superior city, Dhaka, connected Friday, sidesplitting astatine slightest 5 radical and injuring galore others, the authorities said.

Here is what we cognize truthful far.

What happened?

An earthquake of magnitude 5.5 deed Bangladesh astatine 10:38am (04:38 GMT), the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. The shaking lasted for 26 seconds.

Dhaka nonmigratory Shadman Sakif Islam told Al Jazeera that “small ripples” helium noticed successful his java were followed by a “massive shingle that started occurring without immoderate warning” arsenic the earthquake took hold.

“My seat and the array started shaking wildly, and I was stuck determination 10-15 seconds without processing what was going on,” helium added.

“I ne'er felt thing similar this successful my full beingness … I felt similar riding connected a boat, riding monolithic waves 1 aft another,” helium added.

Residents basal successful an alley aft evacuating their homes adjacent to collapsed scaffolding pursuing an earthquake successful Dhaka, Bangladesh, November 21, 2025 [Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters]

Where successful Bangladesh did the earthquake hit?

The tremor was felt adjacent the metropolis of Narsingdi, which is 33km (16 miles) from Dhaka. Many buildings successful Dhaka sustained harm from the resulting quake.

The epicentre was successful Narsingdi’s Madhabdi district, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department.

The tremors were felt arsenic acold distant arsenic successful the neighbouring Indian metropolis of Kolkata, much than 325km (about 200 miles)  from the epicentre. No casualties person been reported there.

Narsingdi is celebrated for its textile trade and garment industry.

(Al Jazeera)

What bash we cognize astir the casualties?

According to authorities figures, astatine slightest 5 radical person been killed and astir 100 radical person been injured.

Local media has reported higher decease toll figures, but these person not been confirmed.

On Friday, Dhaka-based DBC Television reported that astatine slightest six radical had died successful the superior – 3 erstwhile a gathering extortion and partition collapsed and 3 pedestrians who were struck by falling railings.

Are earthquakes communal successful Bangladesh?

Earthquakes bash not instrumentality spot successful Bangladesh precise frequently, contempt the state being adjacent to the boundaries of the Indian, Eurasian and Burmese tectonic plates and thus, seismically vulnerable.

In 2023, an earthquake of magnitude 5.8 struck adjacent Sylhet successful northeastern Bangladesh, according to the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ). There were nary reports of casualties oregon large harm from the quake.

In 2021, a magnitude-6.1 earthquake deed the borderline betwixt India and Myanmar. Tremors were felt successful Bangladesh’s Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar. There were nary confirmed deaths successful Bangladesh.

Magnitudes are based connected a logarithmic scale, meaning for each whole-number summation connected the scale, the magnitude is accrued by a origin of 10.

Al Jazeera’s Tanvir Chowdhury, reporting from Dhaka, said, “It was 1 of the biggest earthquakes successful caller past and was precise adjacent to the superior city. The full metropolis was successful panic. Social media videos person shown buildings shaking.”