WATCH: Panic grips Mirpur stadium after 5.5 magnitude earthquake halts Bangladesh-Ireland Test

New Delhi: Panic gripped the Mirpur Cricket Stadium on Friday morning after play on Day 3 of the second Bangladesh-Ireland Test had to be halted for approximately three minutes after a 5.5 magnitude earthquake caused severe tremors in parts of Bangladesh and India. 

As soon as the players and umpires gathered near the pitch after feeling the jolts, panic gripped fans in the stands. Both dressing rooms emptied at around 10.38 am local time (10.08 am in India) as the crowd looked for open areas to escape to.

While some fans hurried out of the stadium, others tried to get close to the ground. The five-storey media centre building at the north end of the stadium was also vacated as people scrambled to find safe spaces.

While official data was not released at the time of the earthquake, local media in Bangladesh reported that it was recorded at 5.5 on the Richter scale. The epicentre was in Madhabdi, a municipality around 40 kilometres east of Dhaka. At least two buildings in the capital city were reported to have been damaged, but there were no confirmed reports of casualties.

Meanwhile, in Kolkata, which is across the border from Bangladesh in India's West Bengal, tremors were felt similar as was the case in Guwahati, the venue of the second Test between India and South Africa from Saturday. Tremors being felt in other parts of northeastern India were also reported.

After the brief stoppage, play resumed in the Dhaka Test as Ireland lost two more wickets in the first session to go to lunch on the third day at 211 for 7 in reply to Bangladesh's first-innings total of 476.