Bangladesh earthquake kills 5 people and injures more than 450

A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck Bangladesh, killing at least five people, including a child, and injuring more than 450 people.

The epicenter of the quake was near the Narsingdi district, about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from the capital Dhaka.

People poured out of residential buildings as buildings swayed and makeshift structures collapsed. At least 10 students were injured in a stampede while trying to leave Dhaka University on Friday.

“We have never experienced an earthquake of this magnitude in the past five years,” said Syeda Rizwana Hasan, the country’s environmental consultant.

At least three people were killed when railings and debris fell from a five-storey building in Dhaka’s Amanitola area, deputy police chief Malik Ahsan Uddin Sami said.

Nitai Chandra De Sarkar, director of the department’s surveillance department, said 461 injuries were reported across the country, including 252 in Gazipur district north of Dhaka.

Thacker told the BBC: “Our main task at the moment is to assess casualties and damage. We have not yet seen the challenges of rescue from a rubble or wreckage management level.”

Bangladeshi Sadman Saqib told Reuters: “I have never felt such a shock in my 30 years of life. We were in the office when the furniture started shaking.”

“We rushed down the stairs to the street and saw people already on the road.”

One student, Abdullah, who was sleeping when the quake struck, told Reuters that “the whole building was shaking.”

The quake was felt in the eastern Indian state bordering Bangladesh, but no major damage was reported.

The earthquake temporarily halted Ireland’s second cricket test match in Bangladesh.

Coaches and players not involved gathered at the boundary while those in the stands took cover. Play was paused for three minutes but quickly resumed.

Ireland head coach Heinrich Malan said: “I experienced several earthquakes while living in New Zealand.

“It’s never a nice feeling, you’re trying to understand what’s going on around you but also understand the larger implications of where the earthquake is happening.

“Everything was quiet for a few minutes and then we got back to business, but we’re thinking of everyone and hope there’s not too much damage.”