B'desh quake sparks fire at gas distribution centre
07 Nov 2007 10:19:27 GMT Source: Reuters
(Adds fire put out) CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh, Nov 7 (Reuters) - A moderate earthquake jolted eastern Bangladesh on Wednesday, sparking a fire at a natural gas distribution centre, officials said. "The fire has been raging at the gas distribution centre at Foujdarhat," a firefighting official said in Chittagong, 300 km (187 miles) southeast of the capital Dhaka. The U.S. Geological Survey said on its Web site a magnitude 5.2 earthquake, centred 70 km (45 miles) east-south-east of Chittagong, struck at 0710 GMT. The fire, caused by a cracked pipeline, was put out within an hour, said another fire brigade official. No other major damage was reported, police said. Bangladesh is often shaken by mild to moderate earthquake. Twenty-one people were killed and several others were injured when a building collapsed in Chittagong during an earthquake in 1997. (Reporting by Nazimuddin Shyamol; Writing by Nizam Ahmed)
