At least two people have died, 43 are missing and 50 others are injured after a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake caused an under-construction high-rise building to collapse in Bangkok, Thailand.
The US Geological Survey and Germany’s GFZ Center for Geosciences said the midday quake was a shallow 10 kilometres (6.2 miles), with an epicentre in central Myanmar, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) east of its city of Monywa.
A second quake, with a magnitude of 6.4, shook the area about 12 minutes later.
Dramatic video on social media showed the multi-story building with a crane on top collapsing into a cloud of dust, while onlookers ran away.
The National Institute for Emergency Medicine (NIEM) reported that 43 people had been trapped in the rubble.
Thai authorities later confirmed that an unknown number of people remained trapped after a tower collapsed in Bangkok.
The first tremor hit around 1.30 pm (6.30 am GMT) in Bangkok on Friday, with early reports that some buildings may have collapsed in the aftermath.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra declared a state of emergency in the capital.
“Immediately instructed the Ministry of Interior to declare Bangkok an emergency zone, and to notify provinces nationwide to treat the situation as a national emergency, enabling immediate public assistance if needed,” a statement from the prime minister’s office said.
“The Prime Minister is returning to Bangkok immediately and urges the public to avoid high-rise buildings, use stairs only, and remain calm.
“All government agencies have been briefed, and schools have been instructed to send children home early.”
The government also warned that more tremors could happen within the next 24 hours.
Buildings swayed in Bangkok, home to more than 17 million people, as alarms blared and people evacuated high-rise apartments and hotels. Many gathered in the streets under the midday sun.
“All of a sudden the whole building began to move, immediately there was screaming and a lot of panic,” said Fraser Morton, a tourist from Scotland, who was in one of Bangkok shopping.
“I just started walking calmly at first but then the building started really moving, yeah, a lot of screaming, a lot of panic, people running the wrong way down the escalators, lots of banging and crashing inside the mall.”
Thailand’s Department of Disaster Prevention said the quake was felt in almost all regions of the country.
Myanmar’s military government has declared an “emergency situation” in central regions, including Sagaing, Mandalay, Bago, and Magway, as well as eastern Shan State.
The military-built capital, Naypyitaw, home to the junta’s top leadership, was also affected, with religious shrines damaged and parts collapsing.
In Sagaing, southwest of Mandalay, a 90-year-old bridge collapsed, and sections of the highway linking Mandalay and Yangon were damaged.
The full impact remains unclear as Myanmar continues to face ongoing civil conflict.
Follow STV News on WhatsApp
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
