3.3-magnitude quake in Narsingdi not an aftershock, BMD clarifies

A mild 3.3-magnitude earthquake shook the Baipail area of Gazipur district this morning, but it is not an aftershock of Friday's 5.7-magnitude tremor that killed at least 10 people, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD).

Md. Rubayet Kabir, Meteorologist at BMD's Earthquake Monitoring and Research Centre (E-24, Agargaon, Dhaka-1207), confirmed the quake struck at 10:36 am local time. "It was a weak, independent event, not linked to the previous quake," he told The Daily Campus, countering earlier reports.

The tremor was shallow and felt in parts of Gazipur and neighbouring Dhaka, causing brief panic but no reported casualties or damage. BMD's Nizamuddin Ahmed had initially described it as an aftershock, but Rubayet Kabir's clarification attributes it to ongoing seismic activity in the Madhupur Fault zone.

Friday's quake: 10 dead, hundreds injured The main 5.7-magnitude event, centred in Madhabdi upazila of Narsingdi (Lat. 23.77°N, Long. 90.51°E, 13 km east of Dhaka's Agargaon seismic centre), lasted 26 seconds and was felt in Kolkata. It claimed 10 lives: five in Narsingdi, four in Dhaka, and one in Narayanganj. Over 500 were injured, including 252 in Gazipur from factory stampedes and evacuations.

Rescue efforts continue, with structural audits underway in high-risk areas. BMD has activated emergency alerts and advised: stay indoors under sturdy furniture during tremors, check for gas leaks, and download their app for updates. The government has allocated Tk 500 crore for quake-proofing vulnerable structures.

NOTE: BMD in the afternoon clarified the epicenter was in Palash, Narsingdi and explained that their initial assessment report was faulty. TDC reported accordingly after the clarification.