Aftershock rocks Bangladesh as quake death toll rises to 10

Residents stand in an alley after vacating their house next to a fallen scaffolding following an earthquake in Dhaka, Bangladesh, November 21, 2025. (Reuters/File)
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Updated 22 November 2025
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Aftershock rocks Bangladesh as quake death toll rises to 10

  • The government has activated Bangladesh’s emergency operation center to assess the scale of the damage and to coordinate relief and rescue operations
  • Bangladesh’s geography makes the country of 170 million people prone to earthquakes, says an official at Met Department’s Earthquake Observation Center

DHAKA, Bangladesh: A low-magnitude tremor hit Bangladesh on Saturday, the national meteorological service said, a day after a powerful earthquake struck outside the capital Dhaka and killed at least 10 people.

Updating earlier tolls from Friday’s 5.5-magnitude quake, disaster management official Ishtiaqe Ahmed told AFP that “the number of casualties has reached 10, while a few hundreds were injured.”

The first earthquake was felt in Dhaka and neighboring districts, causing widespread destruction.

Toriful Newaz Kabir of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department said Saturday’s 3.3 magnitude jolt was recorded in the town of Palash, Narsingdi district, 29 kilometers (18 miles) from Dhaka.

The met office had earlier said its epicenter was in Ashulia, just north of the capital.

“There was a mistake while analizing the data,” Kabir told AFP, adding they had revised the epicenter location.

Aftershocks are common after major earthquakes, but for some in Bangladesh it has added to fears of an even greater disaster.

“I don’t feel safe yet, as there was another jolt this morning in Ashulia. Maybe we are next,” said Shahnaj Parvin.

The 44-year-old, who lives near the epicenter of Friday’s earthquake, told AFP she had never experienced such a tremor.

Cracks have developed in dozens of houses in her area, she said.

“I was hanging my children’s clothes on the washing line when the tremor struck,” added Parvin.

“I held onto a mahogany tree, and when I returned home, I found my glassware broken.”

The government has activated Bangladesh’s emergency operation center to assess the scale of the damage and to coordinate relief and rescue operations.

Rubayet Kabir of the Meteorological Department’s Earthquake Observation and Research Center said Bangladesh’s geography makes the country of 170 million people prone to quakes.

“That’s why we experience earthquakes quite frequently, though they are not as strong as the one” on Friday, he told AFP.

“Some small tremors are expected after any major earthquake,” Kabir said.

“There has been no massive earthquake in the last 100 years or more, but Bangladesh has been vulnerable for quite some time.”


Pakistan Navy seizes $3 million of narcotics in Arabian Sea under regional security patrol

Updated 07 December 2025
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Pakistan Navy seizes $3 million of narcotics in Arabian Sea under regional security patrol

  • Official statement says the haul was made during an anti-narcotics operation conducted by PNS Yamama
  • Seizure comes after a record haul of nearly $972 million was reported in the North Arabian Sea in October

KARACHI: Pakistan Navy said on Sunday a patrol vessel operating in the Arabian Sea had seized 1,500 kg of narcotics, the latest interdiction under a regional maritime security deployment aimed at curbing illicit activity along key shipping routes.

The operation took place under the Regional Maritime Security Patrol (RMSP), a Pakistan-led initiative that deploys naval assets across the Arabian Sea and adjoining waters to deter smuggling, piracy and other non-traditional security threats.

The framework combines independent patrols with coordination involving regional and international partners.

“Pakistan Navy Ship Yamama, while deployed on Regional Maritime Security Patrol in the Arabian Sea, successfully conducted an anti-narcotics operation, leading to the seizure of 1,500 kilograms of hashish valued at approximately 3 million US dollars,” the Navy said.

The interdiction, it added, underscored the force’s “unwavering commitment to combating illicit activities and ensuring security in the maritime domain.”

Pakistan Navy said it routinely undertakes RMSP missions to safeguard national maritime interests through “robust vigilance and effective presence at sea,” and continues to play a proactive role in collaborative maritime-security efforts with other regional navies.

The seizure comes amid heightened counter-narcotics activity at sea.

In October, a Pakistani vessel seized a haul worth nearly $972 million in what authorities described as one of the largest drug seizures ever reported in the North Arabian Sea.

Last month, Pakistan Navy units operating under a Saudi Arabia-led multinational task force seized about 2,000 kg of methamphetamine, valued at roughly $130 million, highlighting the role of regional cooperation in disrupting trafficking networks.