Dhaka Correspondent:

At least three pedestrians were killed when a railing of a building collapsed in the Bangshal area in the strong earthquake that hit the capital. On Friday (November 21), the duty officer of Bangshal Police Station confirmed the matter to Daily Jugantor Bangladesh at around 11:15 am.

The duty officer said that the railing of a five-story building in Bangshal's Kasaitali area suddenly collapsed and fell down. Three pedestrians below died on the spot. The bodies of the deceased have been kept at the Salimullah Medical College Hospital (Midford) morgue.

According to hospital sources, one of the deceased was a child. Another was a student of the 52nd batch of Midford Medical, whose name is Rafiul. The identity of the third person is not yet known.

Video footage obtained shortly after the incident shows the bodies of the deceased lying on the road in a state of blood. People from the surrounding area are trying to rescue them. The face and front part of one person's head were severely damaged.

Earlier, a strong earthquake was felt in various parts of the country, including the capital Dhaka, at 10:38 am. It lasted a few seconds. The epicenter of the earthquake was in the Madhabadi area of ​​Narsingdi, with a magnitude of 5.7 on the Richter scale. The Meteorological Department has described it as a moderate earthquake.

During the earthquake, people in different areas of Dhaka came out of their houses in panic and took to the streets. Afroza Khanam Lucky, a resident of Kalachandpur area, said, “Our house is on the 7th floor. Suddenly, the building started shaking, there was a loud noise. Many things in the house overturned. We ran downstairs.”

Sushanta Das, a resident of Laxmi Bazar in Old Dhaka, said, “Suddenly, I noticed an earthquake. Electric poles were shaking. I thought they would fall right away. Everyone came downstairs screaming.”

Outside Dhaka, reports of the earthquake being felt in various districts of the country including Gopalganj, Narail, Narayanganj, Rangpur, Satkhira, Jessore, Sherpur, Comilla, and Rajshahi were also received.

Local media reported that the same earthquake was felt not only in Bangladesh but also in various parts of neighboring India and Pakistan.

The loss of life in the earthquake has cast a shadow of mourning over the Bangshal area. The local police and fire service are working to control the situation.