4.1-magnitude earthquake hits Bangladesh

A mild 4.1-magnitude earthquake struck Bangladesh on Thursday, with light tremors felt in Dhaka and nearby districts. No damage was reported. The shallow quake highlights the country’s high seismic risk following last month’s deadly 5.7-magnitude tremor

Dhaka: A mild earthquake of magnitude 4.1 shook Bangladesh early Thursday, with tremors felt in the capital Dhaka and neighbouring districts.

The quake hit at 6:14 am local time, with the epicentre located at a depth of 30 km in Narsingdi, news portal tbsnews.net reported, quoting the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre. There were no reports of damage or casualties.

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Given the quake’s shallow depth, residents in Dhaka and surrounding districts felt only a light tremor, the report said.

Bangladesh faces a high risk of major earthquakes as it lies at the junction of three tectonic plates — the Indian, Myanmar and Eurasian plates, according to The Daily Star newspaper.

Last month, a stronger 5.7-magnitude quake caused 10 deaths and significant damage, mostly in central parts of the country including Dhaka and Narsingdi.

Dhaka is considered one of the world’s 20 most earthquake-vulnerable cities with its very dense population and huge number of dilapidated buildings, many of them being in old part of the capital.

The region has a long history of powerful earthquakes, with five major tremors between 1869 and 1930 measuring above 7.0 on the Richter scale.