Tragedy struck in Old Dhaka's Kasaituli area today (21 November) when a railing, bamboo scaffolding, and debris fell from a five-storey building onto the street, crushing three pedestrians to death and leaving one person critically injured.
The fatal incident occurred shortly after a 5.7-magnitude earthquake (measured at 5.5 by the USGS) jolted the country at 10:38 am. The epicentre was located in Madhabdi, Narsingdi, near Dhaka.
According to local witnesses, the cascading failure began when a mobile network tower located on the roof of one building collapsed and struck the balconies of an adjacent building. This impact caused the building's railing and debris to break loose and fall onto the crowd of bystanders below, who were gathered near a local meat shop.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police confirmed the casualties. Two of the deceased have been identified as Shobuj (30) and Rafiu Islam (21), a student of Sir Salimullah Medical College.
The incident is particularly poignant as Rafiu Islam was at the market with his mother when the debris struck. While Rafiu was declared dead upon arrival at the hospital with severe head injuries, his mother was rushed into emergency surgery. Hospital sources indicated she is currently unaware of her son's death and is repeatedly asking about him. The identity of the third deceased victim remains unconfirmed.
Police are on the scene, and the bodies have been taken to the hospital. The tremor caused panic across Dhaka, with many residents rushing out of their homes, and reports of minor cracks emerging in buildings across various neighbourhoods.
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