An earthquake measuring 7.7 magnitude has killed at least 144 people in Burma. At least 10 died in the Thai capital, where a high-rise under construction collapsed.
A dramatic video circulating on social media shows a high-rise building in Bangkok collapsing in a cloud of dust as construction workers run for their lives. Thailand’s defense minister says 101 people are missing and 10 were killed at three construction sites, including the high-rise.
The high-rise building was being built for the auditor general of the Thai government by the China Railway Construction Corporation.
In Burma, the military government has declared a state of emergency in six regions and states, including Mandalay and the capital, Naypyitaw.
It said on the Telegram messaging app, "The state will make inquiries on the situation quickly and conduct rescue operations along with providing humanitarian aid."
The Red Cross said: “Initial reports from the ground suggest the earthquake has caused significant damage. Information on humanitarian needs is still being gathered.”
The Burmese government’s spokesman, Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, told state-run MRTV television channel that blood was in high demand in hospitals in Mandalay, Sagaing, and Naypyitaw.
Chinese media reported that the earthquake was felt in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces.
Burma's second biggest city, Mandalay, was close to the epicenter, and a local resident, Htet Naing Oo, said several people had been trapped inside a tea shop which had collapsed.
She said, "We couldn’t go in. The situation is very bad."
Most houses in Mandalay are low-rise structures.
A 90-year-old bridge in the Sagaing region, southwest of Mandalay, collapsed, and the highway connecting Mandalay with Burma's largest city, Yangon, was also damaged.
In the capital, Naypyitaw, Buddhist shrines were toppled and some homes damaged, but there is no report yet of fatalities.
The greater Bangkok area is home to around 17 million people, many living in high-rise apartments.
'A Lot Of Panic'
Fraser Morton, a British tourist who was in downtown Bangkok shopping for camera equipment, said, “All of a sudden the whole building began to move, immediately there was screaming and a lot of panic."“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,” he added.
Morton said, “I got outside and then looked up at the building and the whole building was moving, dust and debris, it was pretty intense. Lots of chaos.”
Water from infinity pools in several high-rise hotels can be seen in videos pouring down the sides of the buildings as they shook.
Thousands of residents, workers and tourists took shelter in the city's Benjasiri Park, which is away from high buildings.
Thailand's prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, called an emergency meeting on Friday to assess the impact.
Thailand’s Department of Disaster Prevention said the tremor was felt in almost every region of the country.