A STRONG 5.5 magnitude earthquake struck central Bangladesh today, killing at least eight people and injuring more than 300, authorities and local media said. 

Buildings swayed across the capital, Dhaka, prompting panicked residents to rush into the streets as the shallow quake hit at 10.38am. 

Its epicentre was in the Ghorashal area of Narsingdi district, about 15 miles from the capital, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS), which recorded a depth of 6.2 miles. 

Dhaka-based DBC Television reported that two children were among the dead, with most fatalities caused by collapsing roofs and walls. 

In the capital’s Armanitola area, three people were killed when railings fell from a building as they shopped at a butcher’s stall. 

Firefighters were deployed to several sites where residents reported tilting structures and to a fire in Dhaka’s Baridhara neighbourhood that broke out during the tremor.

The Bengali-language daily Prothom Alo said 252 people, mostly garment workers, were hospitalised in nearby Gazipur. 

With hundreds of factories in the district, many workers were injured in stampedes as they tried to flee buildings when the quake struck.

Television footage showed distressed relatives waiting at medical facilities, including Dhaka Medical College Hospital, for updates. 

Some Dhaka University students jumped from the upper floors of their dormitories during the shaking.

Although northern and south-eastern Bangladesh lie in more active seismic zones due to the interaction of the Indian and Eurasian plates, central Bangladesh is usually less prone to significant earthquakes. 

The USGS noted that only 14 quakes of magnitude 5.5 or higher have occurred within 155 miles of the site since 1950.

Experts warn that with its dense population of 170 million, Bangladesh remains ill-prepared for stronger quakes, with Dhaka’s 2.1 million buildings posing a particular risk.