Strong quake shakes country

A magnitude-6.8 earthquake shook most parts of the country along with the capital for over a minute today evening.

Television reports, however, said shattered window panes of different high-rises in the capital fell on the ground.

People gripped by panic rushed to the streets from their offices and residences and called loved ones after the tremor started at around 6:45pm.

There were no immediate reports of casualties and the duration of the quake was not known instantly.

The epicentre of the quake was 490km northwest of Agargaon Met office in Dhaka, an official said.

Reports of tremor came from Manikganj, Gazipur, Kishoreganj, Khulna, Chittagong and Rajshahi.

The quake also hit northern India on Sunday, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage to buildings, reports news agency Reuters.

The US Geological Survey said on its website the quake was centred 64 km north west of Gangtok, in Sikkim. It was 10 km deep.