A powerful earthquake has struck Myanmar, with the impact rocking Thailand’s capital Bangkok. Hundreds of people reported fleeing their homes in panic in Bangkok as videos reportedly show collapsed bridges and buildings in the region. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said a 7.7 magnitude earthquake had struck central Myanmar at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles) just before 1pm local time (6:20 GMT). The epicenter of the disaster was about 17.2 km from the city of Mandalay, which has a population of about 1.2 million, according to USGS. It is currently not known how many people are injured in Mandalay or Bangkok.
Sixty-seven people are unaccounted for after a building under construction collapsed in Bangkok, according to local media. The State Audit Office building in Bangkok’s Bang Sue area fell to the ground during the aftershock, Khaosod newspaper reported. Only 7 managed to flee as it toppled during the 7.7 magnitude earthquake.
Bewildered inhabitants were rushed down staircases of high-rises and hotels. The city’s Governor Chadchart has now ordered the establishment of an earthquake incident command centre at the Rattanakosin Room, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. A high-rise building under construction in Chatuchak, Bangkok, appears to have collapsed as locals were seen running away from a cloud of debris. Thailand’s Stock Exchange of Thailand has now announced the closure of all trading activities for the remainder of the afternoon.
Tremors shook buildings and vehicles felt as far away as China and India. An officer from the Myanmar Fire Services Department told Reuters: ‘We have started the search and going around Yangon to check for casualties and damage. So far, we have no information yet.’ Mandalay is Myanmar’s ancient royal capital and videos show ruined buildings and debris scattered across the city. Official reports of damage were limited from Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war.
Concern has now grown for the 9 million residents of Bangkok in neighbouring Thailand. Alarms went off in buildings across the densely populated capital as the earthquake hit around 1:30 p.m. Witnesses say water splashed out of swimming pools and residents in Bangkok ran onto the streets in terror.
A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake rocked Southeast Asia on Friday, causing a high-rise building in the Thai capital of Bangkok to collapse and prompting evacuations across the city and in neighbouring Myanmar. The US Geological Survey and Germany’s GFZ center for geosciences said the initial midday tremor was a shallow 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), with an epicenter in Myanmar, according to preliminary reports. A second quake, with a magnitude of 6.4, shook the area 12 minutes later.
Water from high-rise rooftop pools in Bangkok sloshed over the side as they shook, and debris fell from many buildings. Bangkok police say a high-rise building under construction collapsed when the first quake hit the Thai capital. A dramatic video circulated on social media showed the multi-story building with a crane on top collapsing into a cloud of dust, while onlookers screamed and ran. Police told The Associated Press they were responding to the scene near Bangkok’s popular Chatuchak Market and had no immediate information on how many workers were on the site at the time of the collapse.
There were no immediate reports of casualties, and Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra called an emergency. The greater Bangkok area is home to more than 17 million people, many of whom live in high-rise apartments. Alarms went off in buildings as the earthquake hit around 1:30 p.m. and startled residents were evacuated down staircases of high-rise condominiums and hotels in densely populated central Bangkok.
Thailand’s Department of Disaster Prevention said the quake was felt in almost all regions of the country. The epicenter of the earthquake was in central Myanmar, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of the city of Monywa. In the capital Naypyidaw, the quake damaged religious shrines, sending parts toppling to the ground, and some homes. Social media posts from Mandalay showed collapsed buildings and debris strewn across streets. Reuters could not immediately verify the posts.
Witnesses contacted in Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city with around five million people, said many people ran out from buildings. Further reports of damage were not immediately available from Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war ignited by the 2021 military coup. Earthquakes are more common in Myanmar compared to Thailand. Between 1930 and 1956, there were six quakes of 7.0 magnitude near the Sagaing Fault, which runs through Myanmar.
Footage has shown collapsed buildings and debris on the street. There have been reports of people stuck under the rubble of a collapsed building in the Chatuchak area of Bangkok. A resident of the city Chiang Mai said: “I heard it and I was sleeping in the house, I ran as far as I could in my pyjamas out of the building.” Witnesses have said people, including many hotel guests in bathrobes and swimsuits, ran out into the streets.
According to Beijing's quake agency, tremors were also reportedly felt in China’s southwest Yunnan province, measuring 7.9 in magnitude. According to a post on X, the Thai Prime Minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, said she interrupted an official visit to Phuket to hold an “urgent meeting” after the quake. The PM declared Bangkok an "emergency zone" and advised people to evacuate tall buildings because of possible aftershocks.
They said: "Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though resistant structures exist.” "The predominant vulnerable building types are informal (metal, timber, GI etc.) and unreinforced brick masonry construction." A journalist living in Bangkok said she was cooking at home when the first quake struck. Bui Thu, who works for the BBC, said: "I was very nervous, I was very panicked. I didn’t know what it was because it has been, I think a decade since Bangkok had a really strong or powerful earthquake like this. In my apartment, I just see some cracking on the walls and water splashed out of swimming pools and people just yelling.”
The whole of Bangkok has been declared an "emergency zone" as Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn advises people to evacuate tall buildings due to the potential aftershocks. Rescue workers were seen dragging people from buildings destroyed in the quake in Thailand. Police in Bangkok say the earthquake has torn down a high-rise building that was under construction. They have not yet revealed any information about possible casualties. This is a developing story, and updates will follow as more information becomes available.
