BUET professor and earthquake expert Mehdi Ahmed Ansari has warned that the country may experience up to 20 earthquakes this month. He told RTV that two new quakes were recorded on Saturday evening—one in Badda and another in Narsingdi. According to the Meteorological Department, Dhaka and nearby areas have been shaken four times in the last 31 and a half hours, raising public fear.
Earlier on Friday at 10:38 am, a stronger quake jolted the capital and surrounding districts. Many people ran out of their homes in panic, with reports of some jumping from buildings. Several structures were also found tilted or cracked after the tremor.
A Columbia University study earlier identified a hidden fault beneath the Ganges and Brahmaputra basins, suggesting that Bangladesh could face a magnitude 9 earthquake in the future.
Professor Ansari said that four quakes in two days indicate rising activity, and up to 20 more tremors may follow within a week. He warned that anything stronger than magnitude 5.7 could cause severe destruction, identifying Narsingdi as the center of recent quakes.
Experts explain that Bangladesh lies where the Indian, Eurasian, and Burma plates meet. Rubaiyat Kabir from the Earthquake Monitoring and Research Center said these plates are now unlocking. If the Indian plate collides with the Eurasian plate, the risk of a major earthquake will rise sharply.
A 2016 study also found a megathrust fault deep below the Ganges-Brahmaputra basin. Former DU geology professor Syed Humayun Akhtar said that massive energy has built up over the last 800–1,000 years from Sylhet to Teknaf, making the region as dangerous as the Ring of Fire.
DU’s Department of Geology is now examining soil samples from the Ghorashal fissure to determine the depth and nature of the recent tremors. Former professor ASM Obaidullah said these tests will confirm the type of quake activity.
Experts also recalled that an 8.5 magnitude earthquake in 1762 on the Teknaf–Myanmar fault line pushed St. Martin’s Island up by 3 meters. Energy is once again accumulating in that zone. If current plate movements continue, Bangladesh needs to be prepared for stronger earthquakes in the coming days.
