A 5.5 magnitude earthquake in central Bangladesh kills at least 8 people

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A strong, 5.5 magnitude earthquake shook central Bangladesh on Friday, killing at least eight people and leaving more than 300 injured, authorities and local media said. Buildings in the country's capital, Dhaka, swayed in the temblor, sending panicked residents into the streets.

The quake hit at 10:38 a.m., with the epicenter in the Ghorashal area in Narsingdi district, about 25 kilometers (16 miles) from Dhaka. The U.S. Geological Survey said that it had a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles).

Dhaka-based DBC Television said two children were among the dead. The fatalities occurred mostly from collapsed roofs and walls. A building's railings fell and killed three people on a Dhaka street.

The three were shopping at a butcher's shop in Armanitola, an area of Dhaka's old city, and were taken to a hospital where they were pronounced dead, Prothom Alo newspaper said.

Local resident Mohammed Arif said he came out when he heard a loud noise and "saw that some bricks had fallen, and I saw some people injured also."

The Fire Service and Civil Defense department deployed firefighters to locations where people reported tilting buildings, as well as to a fire in Dhaka's Baridhara neighborhood.

The country's leading Bengali-language Prothom Alo daily said 252 people, mostly garment workers, were hospitalized in the Gazipur district, just outside Dhaka. The area has hundreds of garment factories and other industrial facilities.

The workers tried to rush out of their factories when the quake hit, setting off stampedes that left many hurt, the daily said.

Television stations broadcast footage of worried and crying relatives as the victims were brought to medical facilities, including at the state-run Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Dhaka University students jumped from the upper floors of their dorms during the quake.

According to the USGS, though northern and southeastern Bangladesh are seismically active regions because of interactions between the India and Eurasia plates, the central region of the country is less active.

The USGS says that since 1950, only 14 earthquakes — with a magnitude of 5.5 and including two magnitude 6 quakes — have occurred within a 250 kilometers (156 miles) radius of Friday’s earthquake.

Experts warn that Bangladesh, a country of 170 million people, is less prepared for higher-magnitude quakes which could cause a lot of destruction. The capital city, which has about 2.1 million buildings, is particularly at higher risk.

A doctor inspects an X-ray of a patient injured in an earthquake at a hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdul Goni)

A general aerial view of an old city where roofs and walls collapsed after an earthquake in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdul Goni)

People gather outside a narrow lane in old city area where a roof and wall collapsed, after an earthquake in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdul Goni)

A rescue official clears the debris from roof and wall collapse after an earthquake in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdul Goni)

Rescue and fire officials cut building railings falling on the street to make way after an earthquake in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdul Goni)

ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Muslim pilgrims from around the world congregated on Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the second official day of the annual Islamic pilgrimage, considered the pinnacle of the Hajj.

Despite the sweltering heat, the pilgrims gathered on the rocky hill and surrounding plain for intense prayers and worship that often mark a spiritual peak for them. They fervently murmured prayers and poured their hearts out in supplications. Many raised their hands in worship. It is common for pilgrims on that day, some with tears streaming down their faces, to ask God for forgiveness, mercy, blessings and good health.

The Hajj, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, is required once in a lifetime for every Muslim who can afford it and is physically able to perform it.

For pilgrims, the Hajj, performed over several days, can be a deeply moving spiritual experience and a chance to seek God’s forgiveness and the erasure of past sins. As they brave the intense heat to perform religious rituals, many pilgrims have been using umbrellas for shade.

A Saudi official said on Friday that more than 1.5 million pilgrims have arrived in the country from abroad.

This year, Muslims have been pouring into Saudi Arabia for the Hajj against the backdrop of a tenuous ceasefire in the Iran war and related uncertainty in the region.

The U.S. military said Monday that it carried out “self-defense” strikes in southern Iran, including on missile launch sites and boats used to lay mines, even as President Donald Trump said on social media that negotiations with Tehran were “proceeding nicely." Iran on Tuesday denounced the most recent U.S. strikes as a sign of “bad faith and unreliability” as negotiations pressed on toward a possible deal to end the war.

For many, performing the Hajj can be a realization of a lifelong dream as they spend years hoping and praying to one day be able to undertake the pilgrimage or saving up money and waiting for a permit to embark on the trip.

“This happens once in a lifetime,” Mohammad Asal, an Egyptian pilgrim, said. “People here have prepared their prayers, hoping that God will respond to them, because we know that ... the most important ritual of the Hajj is being in Arafat.”

The Hajj brings together large numbers of Muslims of diverse races, ethnicities, languages and socioeconomic classes, creating a sense of unity for many. It’s a mass, communal experience, with Muslims performing rituals together. But it is also deeply personal, as every pilgrim brings their own yearnings and experiences.

“It was incredible,” Ahmed Sufyan, a pilgrim from the United States, said on Tuesday. “The unity and peace that we feel is something I’ve never experienced before,” he added via WhatsApp.

“Our wishes are many,” Mohammad Obaid, a Sudanese pilgrim, said, adding he was praying for Sudan and Muslims everywhere.

Fam reported from Winter Park, Florida.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

A Muslim pilgrim pray atop of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims walk towards the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims are silhouetted as they pray at top of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims pray at top of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims read a copy of Islam's holy book Quran atop of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)