Bangladesh experienced another earthquake on Sunday afternoon—its second in seven days—this time with the epicentre inside the country.
The tremor, measuring 4.0 on the Richter scale, struck Sylhet’s Chhatak area at 12:19 pm, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD).
The BMD’s Earthquake Monitoring and Research Centre Acting Officer Md Rubaiyat Kabir confirmed to media that the tremor was mild but originated in Chhatak, about 185 kilometres northeast of Dhaka.
On September 14, Bangladesh had felt another earthquake, which measured 5.9 on the Richter scale and originated in India’s Assam region.
Geologist Professor Syed Humayun Akhter said that Sunday’s tremor occurred in the Dawki Fault zone, one of Bangladesh’s two primary seismic sources — in the north and east of the country.
He warned that although Sunday’s quake was relatively mild, it signals heightened seismic activity in a high-risk zone.
He added that in February 2024, the same area experienced two or three tremors measuring 4.0 or slightly higher, indicating growing vulnerability.
The Dawki Fault has a history of major earthquakes. The 1787 quake there altered the course of the Brahmaputra River, and the 1897 “Great India Earthquake” — measuring 8.2 on the Richter scale — caused devastation across Assam, Meghalaya, and parts of Bangladesh, including Dhaka.
Historical records show that British officials stationed in Dhaka at the time were forced to live in tents or on boats for months after the disaster.
