The death toll from the earthquake that struck a stadium in Bangladesh on Friday has risen from an initial five to 10 and another low-magnitude tremor has shook the country on Saturday, according to the Bangladesh’s National Meteorological service.
The tremor shake comes just a day after a powerful earthquake near the capital, Dhaka, resulted in at least ten fatalities.
The earthquake was felt in Dhaka and surrounding areas, leading to widespread destruction and panic among residents.
Disaster management official Ishtiaqe Ahmed reported on Saturday that the number of casualties from Friday’s magnitude 5.5 earthquake has reached ten, with several hundred others injured.
The tremors were felt in Dhaka and nearby districts, causing significant damage and alarm although there were no casualties reported at themomentof filingthisreport.
Omar Faruq from the Bangladesh Meteorological Department noted that another minor tremor was recorded on Saturday at 10:36 AM (04:36 GMT).
The epicenter of this magnitude 3.3 quake was located in Ashulia, just north of Dhaka.
Aftershocks are common following significant earthquakes, but for many in Bangladesh, this has heightened fears of a more severe disaster.
“I don’t feel safe yet, especially after the jolt this morning in Ashulia. We might be next,” said Shahnaj Parvin, a resident near the epicenter of Friday’s quake, who had never experienced anything like it before. She reported that cracks have appeared in numerous homes in her area.
“I was hanging my children’s clothes on the line when the tremor hit,” Parvin added.
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The government has activated Bangladesh’s emergency operation center to evaluate the damage and coordinate relief and rescue efforts.
Rubayet Kabir from the Meteorological Department’s Earthquake Observation and Research Centre explained that Bangladesh’s geography makes its 170 million residents susceptible to earthquakes. “Some minor tremors are expected after any major quake,” Kabir stated. “Although there hasn’t been a major earthquake in over a century, Bangladesh has been at risk for a long time,” he told AFP.
After the earthquake on Friday, Dhaka resident Shadman Sakif Islam described to Al Jazeera how he first noticed “small ripples” in his coffee, followed by a “massive shake that occurred without warning.” He recounted, “My chair and table started shaking violently, and I was frozen for 10-15 seconds, unable to comprehend what was happening.”
“I’ve never experienced anything like this in my life … it felt like being on a boat, riding huge waves one after another,” he added.
