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The Meteorological Department reported that two earthquakes struck Dhaka on Saturday evening, both originating in the Badda area.
Tariful Nawaz Kabir, a meteorologist at the department, said the first quake occurred at 6:06:04pm with a magnitude of 3.7, immediately followed one second later by a 4.3 magnitude tremor.
Earlier in the morning, Narsingdi experienced a mild earthquake of magnitude 3.3 in Palash upazila at 10:36am.
These tremors followed Friday's 5.7-magnitude earthquake that shook the entire country, causing widespread panic. Ten people, including children, died, and over 600 were injured.
Dr Md Habibur Rahman Sobuz, a materials and structural engineering specialist at Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET), warned that a major earthquake could cause "a horrific situation" in Dhaka, with collapsed buildings, blocked rescue access, and failure of fire, water, and sewage systems.
A 2009 joint survey by CDMP and JICA predicted that a magnitude-7 or higher earthquake could destroy 72,000 buildings in Dhaka and severely damage another 135,000, generating 70 million tonnes of concrete debris.
Bangladesh remains "grossly underprepared," said Ali Ahmed Khan, former director general of the Fire Service and Civil Defence. "We struggle to handle incidents like Siddique Bazar, Science Lab, or Bangabazar. A major earthquake would be far beyond our capacity."
Dr Israt Islam of BUET's Urban and Regional Planning department noted that Bangladesh's location on active tectonic plates makes strong earthquakes inevitable.
She said public behaviour during Friday's quake-jumping from windows, rushing down staircases, and using lifts-was often more dangerous than the tremors themselves.
Moderate tremors also exposed structural weaknesses, with many buildings swaying or showing signs of distress. Experts blamed years of poor construction practices, lack of monitoring, and substandard materials.
Prof Tahmid M Al-Hussaini of BUET said around 70 per cent of buildings in Dhaka fail to meet basic seismic safety standards and stressed the urgent need for retrofitting older structures and incorporating seismic considerations into urban planning.
Prof Sabbir Mostafa Khan, secretary of the Institute of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB), said seismic design laws exist but are "poorly enforced" and mostly theoretical, with no mandatory vetting or site inspections.
Rezwanur Rahman, director general of the Department of Disaster Management, recently acknowledged that most schools, offices, and hospitals lack earthquake drills or evacuation plans.
Experts recommended mandatory seismic certification for new buildings, structural audits and retrofitting of public infrastructure, updated seismic micro-zonation maps, regular drills, and continuous training for architects, engineers, and city officials.
Prof Hussaini described Bangladesh's situation as "a slow disaster in the making," warning that while earthquakes cannot be prevented, their impact can be reduced through preparedness.
Cracks spotted at 6 metro stations
Authorities have confirmed that all major infrastructures remained safe after Friday's earthquake in the city, although some minor incidents were reported at metro rail stations.
Dhaka Metro Rail conducted two trial runs of MRT-6 before resuming Friday's scheduled operations following the 5.5-magnitude earthquake.
Officials said the trials were carried out to ensure the safety of the entire elevated track. However, minor issues such as fallen tiles, cracks in walls, and a disconnected ceiling fan were observed at some stations, including Uttara North, Pallabi, Agargaon, and Kawran Bazar.
MRT-6 Project Director Mohammad Abdur Wohab said no incidents were found near passenger areas, confirming that piers, viaducts, and tracks are safe. He added that minor issues were limited to equipment rooms, battery rooms, and station control areas.
Officials of the Bangladesh Bridge Authority stated that all bridges, both completed and under construction-including Padma Bridge, Jamuna Bridge, and the Dhaka Elevated Expressway-were reported safe after inspections conducted up to Saturday. These infrastructures were designed to withstand earthquakes of magnitude 7.5 or higher.
Chief Engineer Quazi Mohammad Ferdous confirmed that no damage or incidents were reported after another tremor struck near the Dhaka-Asulia Elevated Expressway project site on Saturday.
Faruque Ahmed, managing director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited, said that while initial inspections showed no structural damage, further engineering checks would be conducted to ensure safety.
"There is no structural damage from the earthquake as the infrastructures were built to withstand a 7.5-magnitude tremor," he told the FE over the phone.
Former project director of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge project, Mohammad Shafiqul Islam, also confirmed that the Padma Bridge was designed to withstand nearly an 8.0-magnitude earthquake and had been rigorously checked for earthquake tolerance during its design phase abroad.
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