High casualties, devastation if 7.05 magnitude quake strikes Dhaka city: Study

Dhaka city may witness high civilian casualties and devastation if a 7.0 to 7.05-magnitude earthquake strikes the capital, according to a study.
Citing the findings of the study, Food and Disaster Management
Minister Abdur Razzaque said about 90,000 people would likely be affected if such an earthquake hits the city at night.
In a scripted answer to lawmakers' queries, the minister said the number of casualties might be around 70,000 if the quake occurs at day.
Razzaque said some 70,000 buildings in the capital would be destroyed completely while 85,000 partially.
The study was conducted on 3.26 lakh houses situated in the Dhaka City Corporation area.
He, however, said there is no sign of occurring an 8.0 magnitude earthquake in the city. But a fault existing at Madhupur, 60 kilometer off Dhaka, may cause a 7.0 to 7.05-magnitude earthquake.
The minister said there would be a loss of about $ 6 billion (half
of national budget) for structural damage following this shock.
Such a quake from the Madhupur Fault will generate a total of 30 million tonnes of debris, he said.
The food minister also said the government is taking various measures to ensure food security for all.
Those include increasing domestic food production and people's purchasing capacity, he said.