November 21, 1997 Earthquake: Chittagong, Bangladesh, India-Bangladesh

Name: November 21, 1997 Earthquake: Chittagong, Bangladesh, India-Bangladesh
Start: 1997-11-21
Location: Chittagong, Bangladesh, India-Bangladesh

November 21, 1997 · M6.1 · 23 deaths · 1 house destroyed

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck Chittagong, Bangladesh, India-Bangladesh on November 21, 1997 at 11:23:06 UTC, 54 km below the surface. It killed 23 people.

Map

Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.

The earthquake

Date: November 21, 1997
Time: 11:23:06 UTC
Place: Chittagong, Bangladesh, India-Bangladesh
Magnitude: 6.1 (Mw)
Focal depth: 54 km (34 mi)
Tsunami: None recorded
Epicenter: 22.212° N, 92.702° E
Country: India

The toll

Deaths: 23
Injuries: 200
Damage: Limited (under about $1 million)
Houses destroyed: 1
Houses damaged: Few (about 1 to 50)

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

Twenty-three people killed, 200 injured and a five-story building collapsed at Chittagong, Bangladesh. Houses damaged at Alikadam, Bandarban, Lama and Nakhyaungcharipara, Bangladesh. Felt in much of Bangladesh as far north as Rangpur and Rajshahi. (reference #1053)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1997 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1997 Recent earthquakes near here This day in weather history

Sources

Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 5478.