AN EARTHQUAKE OF THE magnitude of 5.6 was felt through most of the Bangladesh landmass this morning ahead of tonight's highly anticipated India vs Pakistan match in the SAFF Championship.
The quake itself was centred in India, near Saptagram (Assam), according to the Euro-Mediterranian Seismological Centre. But throughout the northern and central part of Bangladesh its effect was felt.
Dhaka, which is well away from the epicenter, remained mostly unaffected by this activity. Speaking to TFG, a senior official with the team said,
"I was sitting with Salam Ranjan Singh and Nikhil Poojary when I heard about this earthquake from a friend who is in Bangladesh. That was minutes after it happend. But I had not felt it. I asked the players and they had not felt it either. I met Vinit Rai afterwards and asked him if he had felt anything, and he said no. So we're all safe here."
This implies that the Pakistan team, who are staying close by, is also safe.
The highly anticipated semi-final clash will take place tonight at 6:30 pm Indian Standard Time. Both teams have registered two wins each in the group stage and have shown a consistent scoring ability, making tonight's game a potnetially action-packed encounter.
There are concerns about the pitch conditions following heavy rainfall yesterday, but the sun has come out in Dhaka this morning, which will allow the ground staff enough time to restore the Bangabandhu Stadium's playing surface to a dry and match-ready state
In the other semi-final, Nepal will face off with Maldives in the afternoon, in what is expected to be a favourable match-up for Nepal.