Panic grips Bangladesh as 5.7 magnitude quake unleashes fright, hysteria
Across Khulna, Bogura, Magura, Rajshahi, Netrokona, and Noakhali, similar stories of sudden, violent shaking emerged, leaving homes in temporary disarray, belongings scattered, and hearts racing
A sudden, terrifying tremor ripped through Bangladesh this morning (21 November), plunging millions into sheer panic as a 5.7 magnitude earthquake jolted the nation, replacing routine weekend calm with widespread chaos and fear.
At precisely 10:38am, just as daily life was unfolding, the ground violently shuddered, sending an undeniable wave of terror from Dhaka to distant corners of the country.
Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) reported the earthquake's epicentre to be in Madhabdi, Narsingdi, but its impact was felt far and wide, forcing residents to flee their homes in sheer terror, fearing imminent collapse.
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Far and wide
Miles away in Barishal, Taslima Begum clung desperately to her bed, her two-storey house lurching repeatedly. "It felt like somebody was pushing it," she recalled, her voice still trembling with the lingering dread.
Meanwhile, in Khulna sadar, residents Fazle Rabbi and Shaikh Mohammad Zillur Rahman told The Business Standard that as soon as the quake hit, locals immediately abandoned their homes and came out to the streets.
Across Khulna, Bogura, Magura, Rajshahi, Netrokona, and Noakhali, similar stories of sudden, violent shaking emerged, leaving homes in temporary disarray, belongings scattered, and hearts racing.
Capital in chaos
In Dhaka's Khilkhet, Kamrun Nahar Jui watched, horrified, as milk sloshed wildly from her stove, her usually placid apartment transforming into a scene of sudden, jarring disarray. "I have never been this scared," she said.
In the densely populated Mirpur area, Zarin Tasnim shrieked, "I thought our building was going to collapse!" as residents poured out onto the streets, eyes wide with fear, many still in their nightclothes.
In the cramped, vulnerable lanes of Kalinagar in the capital, Abdus Salam's humble mud-and-tin-roofed house violently groaned and shook. "I was sitting on the bed, and my house shook several times. It felt like a tin of rice was falling on my head," he recounted, his voice still ragged with fear, as he bolted outside, the very walls seeming to tremble around him.
Kallyanpur's streets became a chaotic tableau of humanity, as people streamed out of their homes, some barefoot, others still in nightclothes, their faces etched with relief and shock. "Allah saved us!" exclaimed Abu Sufian Fahim, describing a near miss.
"A little more shaking and the cupboard in my room would have toppled over. The tremor lasted a few seconds, and our five-storey building swayed noticeably."
At Dhaka University, the panic was so intense that two students, desperate to escape perceived danger, fractured their legs while leaping from buildings in Zia Hall and Muhsin Hall.
Tanzir Hossain, a resident of Muhsin Hall, is now receiving urgent treatment at Dhaka Medical College.
