Chittagong Correspondent:
A magnitude 5 earthquake struck Myanmar at midnight. Its impact was also felt in the southeastern district of Bangladesh, including Chittagong. Many people came out of their homes in panic after the tremors, which lasted for a few seconds.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) said that the earthquake was felt at 1:36 am Bangladesh time on Sunday. Its epicenter was about 74 kilometers west of the city of Yenangyaung in Myanmar. Its magnitude was 5.0 on the Richter scale and the depth from the surface was about 59 kilometers.
On the other hand, the German Research Center for Geosciences said that the depth of the earthquake was about 10 kilometers. According to the organization, the earthquake was located at 20.46 degrees north latitude and 93.94 degrees east longitude.
The tremors of the earthquake were felt in different areas of Chittagong city. Residents of the city said that houses shook for a few seconds. This spread panic among many.
Deputy Director of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department’s Chittagong office, Md. Abdur Rahman Khan, said that the main center of the earthquake was in Myanmar. Although mild tremors were felt in Chittagong, no casualties or major damage have been reported so far.
Earlier, mild earthquakes were felt in various districts of the northern part of the country on Saturday afternoon. The magnitude of the earthquake that occurred at around 3:10 pm was between 4.4 and 4.5.
Although India’s National Center for Seismology mentioned its magnitude as 4.5 on the Richter scale, the USGS said that its magnitude was 4.4. The European-Mediterranean Seismological Center said that the epicenter of the earthquake was in the Bilasipara area of Assam, India.
Due to the shallow depth, the tremors were felt more in various areas of the country including Rangpur, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Dinajpur and Mymensingh. However, no major damage was reported in that earthquake either.