A 7.7 magnitude earthquake rocked Myanmar and Thailand on Friday, causing the several high-rise buildings to collapse in Bangkok and forcing hundreds of thousands to evacuate from their homes and workplaces.
According to the US Geological Survey and Germany’s GFZ center for geosciences, the earthquake was a shallow 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), with an epicenter close to Myanmar’s Mandalay.
Here are the top developments
Under construction building collapses
At least 43 workers were trapped in after an under construction building collapsed in Bangkok
A dramatic video circulating on social media showed the multi-story building, with a crane on top, collapsing into a cloud of dust as onlookers fled in fear.
Police are at the scene near Chatuchak Market, but it’s unclear how many workers were present at the time.
In Bangkok, many high-rise residents experienced shaking and falling debris, prompting evacuations and an emergency government meeting.
Major hospital in the Myanmar capital turned into a ‘mass casualty area’
According to officials, hundreds of injured people had arrived at the facility.
“I haven’t seen (something) like this before. We are trying to handle the situation. I’m so exhausted now,” a doctor told AFP.
The route to the hospital was jammed with vehicles. An ambulance tried to make its way through, a paramedic shouting “cars, move aside so the ambulance can get through.”
At the city’s National Museum, pieces fell from the ceiling as the building began shaking. Uniformed staff ran outside, some trembling and tearful, others grabbing cellphones to try to contact loved ones.
The earthquake also caused damages, including a collapsed bridge and damaged buildings in Mandalay.
Meanwhile, Myanmar junta appeals for international aid after quake: spokesman
State of emergency in Bangkok
The quake prompted Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to declare a state of emergency in Bangkok, where some metro and light rail services were suspended, further snarling the city’s already notorious traffic.
Earlier, the prime minister said she had interrupted an official visit to the southern island of Phuket to hold an “urgent meeting” after the quake, according to a post on X.
A livestream broadcast by the state-linked Beijing News showed around a dozen emergency workers in orange jumpsuits and helmets standing behind a cordon on a street strewn with fallen masonry in the city of Ruili, on the Chinese border with Myanmar.
‘India stands ready to offer all possible assistance,’ says PM Modi
reacting to the incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep concern and said that the government ready to offer all possible assistance.
“Concerned by the situation in the wake of the earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand. Praying for the safety and well-being of everyone. India stands ready to offer all possible assistance. In this regard, asked our authorities to be on standby. Also asked the MEA to remain in touch with the governments of Myanmar and Thailand,” PM Modi said on X.
