Magnitude 5 quake jolts parts of Bangladesh

A magnitude 5 earthquake jolted a large part of the country today, including Dhaka.

The quake struck at 2:44pm from a depth of about 110km, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, and was centred in the Mawlaik area of Myanmar, 441 km southeast of Dhaka.

The quake lasted for only a few seconds, it added.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The earthquake was felt in Rangamati and Khagrachhari, as well as in Dhaka, Cumilla, and Cox's Bazar.

Earlier on Wednesday, a 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck the same area of Myanmar which was felt in large areas of the country.

Previously, several strong earthquakes originated in the same region of Myanmar.

Mehedi Ansari, a professor, and seismologist at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) told Prothom Alo on Wednesday that the epicentre of the earthquake was 110 kilometres deep in the Earth's surface and that is why it is felt even 400 to 500 kilometres away.