• USGS reported that the amplitude of the earthquake was 7.7 magnitude.
• The three died in Bangkok and the skyscraper collapsed.
• Buildings and bridges in Myanmar collapsed.

On Friday, a powerful earthquake rocked Southeast Asia, killing several people, building a skyscraper in Bangkok, shipped buildings and bridges in neighboring Myanmar, where the ruling military government declared a state of emergency.

Witnesses said at least three people were killed in the town of Tangwu, Myanmar when a mosque partially collapsed, while local media reported that at least two people died, 20 people died and 20 injured after a hotel collapsed.

In Thailand, Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said three people died in the earthquake. He warned of possible aftershocks but urged people to remain calm, saying the situation was largely under control.

Thailand’s National Emergency Medicine Institute said at least one person was killed and dozens of workers were rescued from the ruins of a skyscraper built in Bangkok.

Witnesses said people ran to the streets of the panicked Thai capital, many of whom were as hotel guests in bathrobes and swimming costumes collapsed from the elevated pool of the luxury hotel.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake hit at lunch time was 7.7 magnitude and a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles). The epicenter is about 17.2 kilometers away from Mandalay City, Myanmar, with a population of about 1.5 million.

Following closely behind are powerful aftershocks and several moderately mild shocks.

State media said in Myanmar, the earthquake caused the collapse of buildings in five towns, as well as the railway bridge and a road bridge on the Yangon-Mandalay Expressway.

“As everything started to tremble, we all ran out of the house,” a Mandalay resident told Reuters. “I witnessed a five-story building collapse before my eyes. Everyone in my town was on the road and no one dared to go back inside the building.”

Myanmar’s ruling military declared a state of emergency in several regions.

“The state will quickly ask about the situation and conduct rescue operations and provide humanitarian assistance,” it said on the telegram messaging application.

The military government seized power in the 2021 coup, leading to a civil war and being quarantined internationally.

Mandalay is the ancient royal capital of Myanmar and the center of the country’s Buddhist heartland.

Social media posts show that city streets are scattered with buildings and debris. Reuters was unable to verify the positions immediately.

Myanmar local media outlets have now released images showing that the bell tower has collapsed and part of the Mandalay Palace has been ruined. Eyewitnesses in the city htet naing oo htet naing oo told Reuters that a tea shop fell inside and was trapped. “We can’t get in,” she said. “The situation is very bad.”

At least three people died after the partial collapse of the mosque in Taungoo, two witnesses told Reuters.

“When the tremor started, we were talking about prayer…three people died on the spot,” said one of the two people who spoke with Reuters.

Local media reported that a hotel on the ban in Shanzhou collapsed rubble, with one of the exits being the voice of Myanmar’s democracy, reporting two deaths and 20 trapped.

Videos and images posted by Myanmar are now showing a roof on a market in the capital Naypyitaw. Witnesses contacted Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, and many said many had exhausted the buildings.

Bangkok office building shakes

Thailand’s stock exchange suspended all trading activities at its Friday afternoon meeting.

Witnesses said an office building in central Bangkok swung for at least two minutes or so, with doors and windows squeaking loudly.

Hundreds of employees filed lawsuits through emergency stairs due to some shock and panic workers freezing. A loud scream can be heard as the building continues to sway.

“At first, I didn’t realize (it was an earthquake),” Varunyou Armarttayakul’s office staff told Reuters. However, I saw the table trembling and the chairs and computers began to sway. I also certainly knew that when I heard the sound of cracked walls and cracked glass, part of the ceiling collapsed even outside me, and by then I had already run into a hundred, one hundred, one hundred and one hundred and exhausted. Seniors chair and shocked person.

China’s Xinhua News Agency said that the southwestern Yunnan province bordering Myanmar felt a strong tremor, but there were no reports of casualties.

Pakistan grief

Pakistan expressed deep sorrow over the devastating earthquake that attacked Myanmar, Thailand and neighboring countries.

“Our thoughts and everyone affected by this tragedy are praying for the rapid recovery of the injured,” a foreign ministry spokesman said in a press statement.

Pakistan also expressed appreciation for the hard-working brave individuals and emergency personnel who worked hard on rescue and relief work in the local area. “Their courage and commitment in times of emergency are truly admirable.”

“We express solidarity in government and communities that have impacted during this challenging period. Possible strength and resilience enable those who influence recovery and recovery,” the statement added.