Dhaka is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Geologists have long been have been saying that warning that Bangladesh is at the risk of a huge earthquake by analysing historic earthquake records, recent seismic activity and geologic and tectonic set up of the country. Researchers warn that poorly designed buildings in Bangladesh will increase the death toll in an earthquake. GPS network exposed that one plate is diving under the deep beneath the surface in an area including Bangladesh, eastern India and some parts of Myanmar.

The seven north-eastern states — Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur — are considered by seismologists as the sixth major earthquake-prone belt in the world. The region experienced an earthquake measuring 8.7 on the Richter scale in 1897. Over 1,600 people had died in that quake.

An earthquake, the latest one, measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale hit different parts of Bangladesh including Dhaka on Tuesday (3 January 2017) afternoon. The epicentre of the quake was 19 kilometre northeast of Ambasa in Indian state of Tripura, reports United States Geological Survey (USGS).

On July 22, 2016 The Daily Mail published a report — ‘Giant ‘megathrust’ fault is discovered in the Earth’s crust under the most densely populated part of the globe that could wipe out ‘tens of millions’ in an earthquake.’

The report said, ‘A giant fault in the earth’s crust covers by millions of tonnes of sediment in one of the world’s most densely populated areas could kill tens of millions of people, scientists have claimed.

Researchers placed hundreds of highly accurate GPS receivers in locations across India, Bangladesh and Myanmar and monitored them over a ten year period. Now the scientists fear the location is home to a megathrust fault which could unleash a 9.0 magnitude earthquake at any minute.

The experts discovered that millions of tonnes of sediment from the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers have been dumped into the megathrust fault, where one of the earth’s plates is being pushed under another.

This type of fault creates the largest earthquakes and was responsible for the 2004 Indian Ocean disaster which almost wiped out Banda Aceh as well as the 2011 Japanese earthquake. Both of these events resulted in massive Tsunami waves as the epicentre was far out to sea.

However, the newly discovered megathrust fault has massive numbers of people living in close proximity - many of whom are packed into poorly designed and constructed buildings.

The scientists, led by Dr Michael Steckler from Columbia University published their findings in the journal-Nature.’

‘More than 140 million people live within a 60 mile area of the potential disaster zone in Bangladesh,’ Dr Steckler said. He also mentioned CNN that he fears the fault line might be active. The fault was being filled by sediment from the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta which makes it difficult to study.

However, using the GPS data, he said they were able to ‘see the motion of the plates and the deformation around the fault due to the two sides being locked together’.

Dr Steckler claimed an 8.2 to 9.0 earthquake would have a devastating effect on the tens of millions of people living nearby — even in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka. ‘The strain is building up and will sometime be released by an earthquake,’ he added.

The researchers cannot predict when the earthquake will strike, but he said governments in the region should be ‘building more earthquake resistant structures’ while improving ‘planning to cope with relief and supplies for the people after an earthquake’.