Bangladesh earthquake: further reports arrive

A 6.7 magnitude earthquake occurred at approximately 5am on the morning of 3rd January. The epicentre was near Imphal, the capital of that Manipur state of India, just to the east of Bangladesh – about 200 miles from Dhaka. The impact was felt across Bangladesh and also in Myanmar, Bhutan and Nepal.

As the ground shook for up to two minutes, people ran out into the streets – even as far away as Dhaka and also across rural Sylhet. There was some damage to buildings in Imphal, with cracks appearing in many buildings and, unfortunately, some buildings collapsed. Electricity was taken out by the quake. Many people also experienced damage to fixtures and fittings and personal possessions in their homes, as items fell of shelves and items of furniture fell over.

To date, six people have been reported dead in Imphal, with about another 100 experiencing injuries which needed medical treatment – up to a third of them serious. One of the dead was found in a collapsed building. One partially completed building collapsed and rescue workers are searching for construction workers who are believed to have been on site at the time of the quake.

Three fatalities have been reported in Bangladesh – all people who suffered heart attacks. One was named as Saiful Hossain Rubel, aged 22, who died in East Jurain, Dhaka. A second was named as Khalilur Rahman, who lived in Rajshahi and worked at the local university. The third was named as Kadu Miah, aged 69, from Lalmonirhat’s Patgram.

Nearly 100 needed medical treatment for injuries, including ten students hit by falling rubble as they rushed out of their homes and another student who jumped from a fourth floor balcony and is in a critical condition. Damage to buildings was minimal overall, though some older buildings developed cracks and residents had to be evacuated.

Some people had minor damage to their homes or possessions. A gas pipeline broke in Ashulia, a suburb of Dhaka, causing a fire.

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