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 signals commitment to regulate digital assets in meeting with Binance leadership

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Pakistan signals commitment to regulate digital assets in meeting with Binance leadership

  • Binance delegation led by CEO Richard Teng meets Pakistan’s prime minister, army chief in Islamabad
  • Pakistan has attempted to tap into growing crypto market to curb illicit transactions, improve oversight

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s government has signaled its “strong commitment” to digital asset regulation as the country’s senior officials met the leadership of Binance, one of the world’s most prominent global cryptocurrency exchanges, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said on Saturday. 

The Binance team, led by its Chief Executive Officer Richard Teng, is in Pakistan and has held meetings with Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) Chairman Bilal bin Saqib and senior Pakistani bank officials this week. 

Pakistan has been attempting to regulate its fast-growing crypto and digital assets market by bringing virtual asset service providers (VASPs) under a formal licensing regime. Officials say the push is aimed at curbing illicit transactions, improving oversight and encouraging innovation in blockchain-based financial services.

“Binance senior leadership visits Pakistan as government signals strong commitment to digital asset regulation,” the PMO said. 

A Binance delegation led by Teng met Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir in Islamabad. 

Saqib also attended the meeting and gave the Binance team a briefing about his organization.

Pakistan has attempted in recent months to tap into the country’s growing crypto market, a move analysts say could bring an estimated $25 billion in virtual assets into the tax net.

In September, Islamabad invited international crypto exchanges and other VASPs to apply for licenses to operate in the country, a step aimed at formalizing and regulating its fast-growing digital market.