M5.5 earthquake hits Bangladesh, 5 killed
A powerful earthquake has struck Bangladesh outside the densely populated capital of Dhaka, killing at least five people and injuring about 100, according to the government, Al Jazeera reported
Dhaka-based DBC Television reported a higher death toll of at least six people on Friday in the capital, three from the collapse of a building roof and a wall, and three pedestrians when building railings fell on them.
The magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck at 10:38am (04:38 GMT) near the city of Narsingdi, about 33km (16 miles) from Dhaka, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.
The earthquake terrified residents, with many in the Muslim-majority nation of 170 million people at home on their day off.
Al Jazeera’s Tanvir Chowdhury, reporting from Dhaka, said, “It was one of the biggest earthquakes in recent history and was very close to the capital city. The entire city was in panic. Social media videos have shown buildings shaking.”
Three people were killed, including a medical student, the health department said.
Earlier, magnitude 4.3 earthquake jolted Kyrgyzstan.