Four killed, several injured after 5.7 magnitude earthquake hits Bangladesh

At least four people were killed and several others were injured after 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit Bangladesh's Narsingdi, Reuters reported quoting police.

Residents rushed out of their homes in Dhaka as buildings shook and some makeshift structures collapsed, Reuters reported quoting witnesses.

The fire department reported injuries after bricks and loose cement fell from buildings that were under construction.

Tremors were also felt across West Bengal and the northeastern parts of India. Several people were seen coming out on the streets in Kolkata and Assam's Guwahati as a precautionary measure, PTI reported.

The quake struck 13 km south-southwest of Narsingdi in Bangladesh at 10.08 am, and at a depth of 10 km, IMD said.

Muhammad Yunus, the head Bangladesh's interim government, urged people to remain calm as authorities assess the damage.

"Everyone is urged to remain alert and not pay attention to any kind of rumours or misinformation," he said in a statement. "Further guidance will be provided through hotlines and official channels if necessary. We remain committed to ensuring the safety of all citizens."

Dhaka’s deputy police commissioner Mallik Ahsan Uddin Sami said, quoting the fire service, that at least three people were killed after a railing, bamboo scaffolding and debris of a five-storey building fell on them at Old Dhaka’s Armanitola area.

Sami confirmed that one of the deceased was a medical student who was there to buy meat along with his mother. She is critically wounded requiring an emergency surgery, he added. An eight-year-old is also feared dead, though the identity has not been ascertained yet.

The fourth death was reported from Narayanganj where a newborn baby on her mother’s lap died as they were walking near a wall that collapsed as the tremor hit.