Dhaka, June 1 -- Preliminary testing has detected traces of natural gas following the completion of a test drilling operation in Tartapara village of Jamalpur's Madarganj Upazila.

Director of the Jamalpur-1 Exploration Well Drilling Project Mozammel Haque confirmed the development on Sunday afternoon.

According to officials involved in the project, a total depth of 2,600 metres was drilled.

Initial estimates suggest that a gas-bearing layer between 1,441 and 1,445 metres could contain around 7.2 million cubic feet of gas.

An additional gas-bearing zone is suspected in an upper layer, though further testing is required to confirm this, reports bdnews24.com.

Authorities said it would take approximately 72 more hours of preliminary test...