An earthquake shook the southwestern region of the country again on Friday afternoon. According to My Earthquake Alert , the magnitude of the earthquake, which occurred at 1:52 pm in the Asashuni area of Satkhira, was 5.3 on the Richter scale.
Local residents said the tremors in Satkhira were clear and strong. Many people who were in the mosque during Friday prayers quickly came out in panic. However, there were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage.
The number of earthquakes has increased noticeably in February. At least eight earthquakes were felt in the country in the first 26 days of this month. Among them, a 5.1-magnitude earthquake that originated in Myanmar on Wednesday night shook various regions including Dhaka.
According to seismologists, starting with a mild tremor of magnitude 3 in Sylhet on February 1, three earthquakes were felt on the same day on February 3—including one of magnitude 4.1 in Kolaroa and two tremors of magnitude 5.9 and 5.2 originating in Myanmar. Then, two more earthquakes were recorded in Sylhet on February 9 and 10, and a magnitude 4.1 earthquake was recorded in Chhat, Sunamganj on February 19.
These successive tremors have once again brought to the fore the need for infrastructure preparedness and public awareness in earthquake-prone areas.