DHAK: A strong earthquake shook the country, including the capital, at about midnight Friday, panicking many people.

Met office said it was a "moderate" tremor, measuring 4.7 on Richter scale. 

The quake occurred at around 11:25pm across the country and lasted a few seconds, reports reaching banglanews newsroom said.

According to the US Geological Survey and National Earthquake Information Center, the magnitude of the quake was 4.8. "The depth of the quake was 14.1 kilometer" down the earth surface, says the Survey,

The epicentre of the tremor was not far from the capital--it jolted different areas from 46 kilometres southeast of Dhaka, from 48 kilometres west of Comilla and 59 Kilometres southeast from Tongi.

"Our TV stand, the wardrobe nearby, cots and so were all rocking," said one housewife, Rumeli, from Malibagh.

Experts said there is nothing to panic about an earthquake of such a scale.

Prof Shahedur Rashid of the department of Geography and Environment of Jahangirnagar University said some 6,200 tremors of such intensity occur across the world every year.

"However, weak infrastructures have a risk even in the event of such quakes," he told banglanews staff correspondent Zahidur Rahman.

A Narayanganj report said two buildings developed cracks in the district town under the impact of the earthquake.

There was an aftershock in some areas following the tremor.  

BDST: 2355 HRS, SEPT 10, 2010