Tremors from Myanmar earthquake felt across South-East Asia
A powerful earthquake has taken place in South-East Asia, killing several people, bringing down a skyscraper under construction in Bangkok and toppling buildings and bridges in neighbouring Myanmar, where the ruling junta declared a state of emergency in some areas.
The magnitude-7.7 quake struck near Mandalay in central Myanmar around midday, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS), at a depth of just 10 kilometres.
The initial earthquake was followed by a strong magnitude-6.4 aftershock.
While the quake’s epicentre was in Myanmar — which is in the midst of a civil war — the first reports of casualties came from the Thai capital, Bangkok.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said there had been at least three deaths so far due to the earthquake.
Elsewhere in the city, 81 workers are trapped at the site of a collapsed skyscraper, Thailand’s National Institute of Emergency Medicine said.
The USGS said the epicentre of the quake was about 17.2 kilometres from Mandalay, a city in Myanmar with a population of about 1.2 million.
While the area is prone to earthquakes, it is generally sparsely populated and most houses are low-rise structures.
“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 Reuters.
Social media posts from Mandalay showed collapsed buildings and debris strewn across streets.
Deep cracks were seen in roadways in the city of Naypyidaw in central Myanmar. (AFP: Sai Aung)
“We all ran out of the house as everything started shaking. I witnessed a five-storey building collapse in front of my eyes,” one witness told Reuters.
“Everyone in my town is out on the road and no one dares to go back inside buildings.“
Witnesses Reuters contacted in Yangon said many people ran out of buildings in the city, Myanmar’s largest city. There were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths.
In the capital, Naypyidaw, the quake damaged religious shrines, sending parts toppling to the ground, and some homes.
In the Sagaing region just south-west of Mandalay, a 90-year-old bridge collapsed and some sections of the highway connecting Mandalay and Yangon were also damaged.
Dozens of Thai workers trapped
A 30-storey skyscraper under construction for government offices collapsed in Bangkok on Friday, trapping about 81 workers, police and medics said.
The Associated Press reported the collapse was near Bangkok’s popular Chatuchak market.
People stand near the site of a collapsed building in central Bangkok. (Reuters: Ann Wang)
Water from high-rise rooftop pools in Bangkok sloshed over the side as they shook, and debris fell from many buildings.
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra called an emergency meeting to assess the impact of the quake.
Alarms went off in buildings as the earthquake hit about 1:30pm and startled residents were evacuated down staircases of high-rise condominiums and hotels in densely populated central Bangkok.
Witnesses in Bangkok said people ran out onto the streets in panic, many of them hotel guests in bathrobes and swimming costumes.
Local residents and passing motorists in Naypyidaw appeared to begin cleaning up large slabs of bitumen from roadway cracks after the quake hit. (AFP: Stringer)
Thailand’s Department of Disaster Prevention said the quake was felt in almost all regions of the country.
The greater Bangkok area is home to more than 17 million people, many of whom live in high-rise apartments.
Trading on the stock exchange was halted for Friday’s afternoon session, local time.
“Following the earthquake incident, the Stock Exchange of Thailand hereby announces the immediate suspension of all trading activities,” the bourse operator said on its website.
China’s Xinhua news agency said strong tremors were felt in south-western Yunnan province, which borders Myanmar, but there were no reports of casualties.
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