Tremors swayed buildings in the central business area of the Thai capital, where a state of emergency has been declared. The epicenter of the earthquake was in Myanmar, where the powerful tremors were also felt.
A major earthquake was felt by residents in the Thai capital, Bangkok, on Friday, with a skyscraper under construction collapsing and trapping at least 43 workers.
Germany’s GFZ for geosciences said the epicenter of the 7.3 magnitude earthquake was in neighboring Myanmar, citing preliminary reports. It was recorded at a shallow 10 kilometers (6.2 miles).
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) meanwhile said the earthquake had a 7.7 magnitude.
The Thai Prime Minister declared a state of emergency in Bangkok.
What else do we know about the earthquake?
Witnesses said people ran out into the streets of Bangkok after feeling the powerful tremors. Water splashed out of swimming pools, witnesses added.
A highrise building under construction collapsed in Bangkok due to the earthquake, police told the Associated Press news agency. The French AFP news agency cited medics as saying 43 workers were trapped.
The 30-storey skyscraper was a government offices work in progress in the north of the Thai capital, AFP added.
Some metro and light rail lines were suspended as a result of the quake.
“I heard it and I was sleeping in the house, I ran as far as I could in my pyjamas out of the building,” Duangjai, a resident of popular tourist city Chiang Mai, told AFP after tremors were felt across northern and central Thailand.
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said she interrupted an official visit to the southern island of Phuket to hold an “urgent meeting.”
Thailand’s stock exchange announced coming to a full halt after the quake.
Where else were the tremors felt?
The earthquake’s epicenter was located 16 kilometers northwest of the city of Sagaing in Myanmar at around 12:50 p.m. local time (0620 GMT/UTC), the USGS said.
An AFP journalist in the city of Naypyidaw, south of Sagaing, said roads were buckled by the force of the earthquake, with chunks of ceilings fallen from buildings.
“We have started the search and going around Yangon to check for casualties and damage. So far, we have no information yet,” an officer from the Myanmar Fire Services Department told the Reuters news agency. Yangon lies some 620 kilometers south of Sagaing.
Unverified social media posts also showed damage in Mandalay, Myanmar’s ancient royal capital that is at the center of its Buddhist heartland.
“We all ran out of the house as everything started shaking,” a witness in the city told Reuters. “I witnessed a five-storey building collapse in front of my eyes. Everyone in my town is out on the road and no one dares to go back inside buildings.”
Apart from Thailand, the tremors were also felt in China’s southwest Yunnan province. Beijing’s quake agency measured the jolt at 7.9 in magnitude.
China’s Foreign Ministry said it was closely following reports on the tremors.
This is a developing news story. Please refresh for updates.
Edited by: Sean Sinico
DW News
