A powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar on Friday, sending shockwaves through neighboring countries, including Thailand, where buildings swayed and panic spread.
The tremor, with its epicenter located just 17 kilometers from Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, hit at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) around midday.
It prompted widespread evacuation in Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, and neighboring Bangkok.
Social media from Mandalay painted a chaotic scene, with images of collapsed buildings and debris filling the streets. Witnesses in the city described terrifying moments as a five-story building crumbled before their eyes. "We all ran out of the house as everything started shaking," one witness recalled. “No one dares to go back inside buildings."
Despite the panic, initial reports from Myanmar indicated no immediate casualties, though the full extent of the damage remained unclear due to the ongoing civil unrest.
In Yangon, residents fled their homes as aftershocks were anticipated, while in Mandalay, parts of the former royal palace were damaged, and a 90-year-old bridge in the Sagaing region collapsed.
The earthquake's reach extended to Bangkok, where the tremors sent office workers and hotel guests running into the streets, some still in bathrobes or swimming costumes.
Alarms blared as high-rise towers swayed for nearly two minutes, causing windows and doors to creak. "I started walking calmly at first, but then the building really began moving," said Fraser Morton, a tourist in a Bangkok shopping mall. "People were screaming and running the wrong way down the escalators."
While no injuries were reported, the quake rattled Bangkok’s high-rise-filled skyline, sloshing water from rooftop pools and dislodging debris from many buildings.
"It lasted at least a minute,” said Zsuzsanna Vari-Kovacs, a Hungarian resident. “I’ve experienced earthquakes before, but nothing like this."
In the wake of the tremor, a 6.4 magnitude aftershock added to the chaos.
Authorities in Bangkok urged evacuees to remain outside, and the Prime Minister convened an emergency meeting to assess the situation.
The quake also caused significant structural damage in Naypyitaw, Myanmar’s capital, where religious shrines and homes were affected.
As of now, the search for casualties and further destruction continues, and the situation remains fluid.
The earthquake has highlighted the region’s vulnerability to seismic activity, particularly in densely populated areas like Bangkok, where more than 17 million people reside.
