On the morning of November 21, 2025, a powerful 5.7 magnitude earthquake struck Bangladesh, sending shockwaves through the capital Dhaka and far beyond. The tremor, which hit at approximately 10:08 am local time, left at least six people dead and more than 200 injured, according to multiple reports including The Tribune and The Daily Star. The epicenter was pinpointed in Madhabadi, Narsingdi, a mere 25 kilometers from Dhaka, and about 10 kilometers beneath the surface, as confirmed by the United States Geological Survey and Bangladesh’s meteorology department.
As the earth shook, residents in Dhaka and surrounding regions rushed from their homes in panic. Buildings swayed, and in some cases, the damage was immediate and visible. According to The Tribune, three people lost their lives in Dhaka’s Old Armanitola area when a railing, bamboo scaffolding, and debris from a five-storey building collapsed. Among the victims was an eight-year-old child and a medical student who had been shopping with his mother; she was critically wounded and required emergency surgery.
Tragedy also struck in Narayanganj, a suburban river port town, where a newborn baby died as a wall collapsed on her and her mother while they were walking nearby. The mother was left critically injured. In Narsingdi, where the quake’s epicenter was located, two additional deaths were reported. The BBC and Reuters noted that the total death toll reached at least six, with injuries mounting as the day progressed.
The scale of the disaster extended beyond direct structural collapse. In Sripur, Gazipur, panic at the Denimeck textile factory turned deadly when workers tried to flee the multi-story building. Factory officials reportedly refused to open the main gate after the quake struck, triggering a stampede that left more than 150 workers injured, as detailed by The Daily Star. Many of the wounded were rushed to the Sripur Upazila Health Center for treatment. Workers later voiced frustration and anger at the management’s actions, saying the closed gates contributed to the chaos and the high number of injuries.
Other parts of the city and surrounding areas experienced their own scares. In Sutrapur’s Swamibagh area, an eight-storey building leaned precariously against a neighboring structure, while in Kalabagan, a seven-storey building was reported tilted. Fire officials later confirmed that, despite the alarming appearances, these buildings remained structurally sound. Fires broke out in the aftermath of the quake as well; one blaze erupted in Dhaka’s upscale Baridhara neighborhood, and another in the Gazaria area of Munshiganj. Firefighters responded quickly, though it was not immediately clear if the fires were directly linked to the earthquake.
Beyond the immediate devastation, the tremors were felt across a wide swath of the region. In Kolkata, India, and several districts of West Bengal—including Cooch Behar, South Dinajpur, Malda, and Nadia—residents reported feeling the ground shake for about 20 seconds at around 10:10 am. Local authorities in India said no injuries or significant damage occurred, but many people evacuated buildings as a precaution. According to The Tribune, this was a stark reminder of the interconnectedness of seismic events in South Asia, where tectonic plates meet and the risk of earthquakes remains ever-present.
For Bangladesh, the quake reignited painful memories and longstanding fears. The country sits atop active tectonic plate boundaries, making it especially vulnerable to seismic activity. Professor Mehedi Ahmed Ansary, an earthquake expert at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, warned, “This tremor (on Friday) is an alarm bell for Bangladesh.” He added that a quake of magnitude 6 or higher could collapse most structures across the country, highlighting the urgent need for improved building codes and disaster preparedness.
The historical shadow of the 1762 Great Arakan Earthquake still looms large in the national consciousness. That catastrophic event, with a magnitude of 8.5, triggered a tsunami as high as 15 meters, destroyed the city of Chittagong, and killed thousands. The devastation was so complete that, according to records from the East India Company and accounts by Portuguese and Dutch traders, the city of Chittagong "disappeared overnight." Local folklore continues to refer to the disaster as "the sea's revenge."
Recent years have seen a series of smaller but still unsettling earthquakes in the region. Earlier in 2025, India experienced several quakes: a 4.4 magnitude event in Delhi NCR on July 10, a 5.8 magnitude quake with its epicenter in Afghanistan on April 19, and a 4.0 magnitude tremor in New Delhi and Siwan, Bihar, on February 17. In each case, the tremors were felt across large areas, prompting people to flee buildings in fear, but no major damage was reported.
Why do earthquakes strike this region so frequently? The answer lies beneath our feet. The earth’s surface is made up of seven large and many smaller tectonic plates, which are in constant motion. When these plates collide, bend, or break under pressure, the resulting release of energy causes earthquakes. Bangladesh’s position near the intersection of several active plates makes it especially susceptible to these natural disasters.
As the dust settled in Bangladesh, the focus shifted to recovery and reflection. The Bangladesh-Ireland international cricket match, which was underway at the time of the quake, was temporarily halted—a small but telling sign of how daily life was upended. Authorities and emergency crews worked tirelessly to respond to fires, treat the injured, and assess the structural integrity of damaged buildings. For many, the quake served as a stark reminder of the country’s vulnerability and the urgent need for improved disaster readiness.
In the aftermath, the stories of loss and survival resonated across the region. From the mother in Narayanganj mourning her newborn, to the factory workers in Gazipur nursing injuries, to the families in Dhaka grappling with sudden tragedy, the human toll was unmistakable. As experts warn of the inevitability of future quakes, Bangladesh faces a pressing question: how to build resilience in the face of nature’s unpredictable fury?
The events of November 21, 2025, will not soon be forgotten. For Bangladesh and its neighbors, they serve as both a somber reckoning and a call to action—one that demands attention not just from governments and engineers, but from every community living in the shadow of shifting plates.
