At least five people have been killed, including one child, and more than 450 injured after a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit Bangladesh.
The epicenter of the earthquake was close to the Narsingdi district, about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from the capital, Dhaka.
People rushed from residential buildings as they shook and makeshift structures collapsed. At least 10 students were injured in a stampede while trying to leave Dhaka University on Friday.
We have never experienced an earthquake this powerful in the last five years, said the country's environmental adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan.
At least three fatalities were reported when debris fell from a five-storey building in Dhaka's Armanitola area, according to deputy police commissioner Mallik Ahsan Uddin Sami.
Nitai Chandra De Sarkar, director of the department's monitoring division, reported that 461 people have been injured nationwide, with 252 injuries recorded in the Gazipur district, north of Dhaka.
Sarker indicated that authorities are focused on assessing casualties and damage but have not yet identified any significant challenges for rescue or debris management.
Bengali resident Sadman Sakib described the tremor, stating, I have never felt such tremor in my 30 years of life. We were at the office when the furniture started shaking. He recounted how people rushed down the stairs onto the street.
Another person, Abdullah, a student who was sleeping during the earthquake, reported, the whole building was shaking.
Tremors were also felt in eastern Indian states bordering Bangladesh, although no major damage has been reported in India.
The earthquake notably halted an Ireland cricket Test match in Bangladesh temporarily, with coaches and players taking shelter during the tremors. Play resumed shortly after.
Reflecting on the experience, Ireland's head coach Heinrich Malan said, It's never a nice feeling and you're trying to understand what is happening in the moment around you, but also the bigger impacts about where the earthquake struck.
