A massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake rattled Burma and Thailand Friday, causing buildings to collapse as people scrambled for safety.
The massive earthquake shook across almost every region of the country and aftershocks were reportedly felt in India and China. The extent of the injuries and possibly fatalities is unclear at this time.
The aftershock was reported to have been 6.4 magnitude, the United States Geological Survey (USGS). People in Bangkok evacuated from their buildings were cautioned to stay outside in case there were more.
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A dramatic video circulated on social media showed the multi-story building in Bangkok with a crane on top collapsing into a cloud of dust, while onlookers screamed and ran.
Police were responding to the scene near Bangkok’s popular Chatuchak Market, and had no immediate information on how many workers were on the site at the time of the collapse.
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The U.S. Geological Survey and Germany’s GFZ center for geosciences said the earthquake was a shallow 6.2 miles, with an epicenter in Myanmar, according to preliminary reports.
Water from high-rise rooftop pools in Bangkok sloshed over the side as they shook, and debris fell from many buildings.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra called an emergency meeting to assess the impact of the quake.
The greater Bangkok area is home to more than 17 million people, many of whom live in high-rise apartments.
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Alarms went off in buildings as the earthquake hit around 1:30 p.m., and startled residents were evacuated down staircases of high-rise condominiums and hotels in densely populated central Bangkok.
They remained in the streets, seeking shade from the midday sun in the minutes after the quake.
Thailand’s Department of Disaster Prevention said the quake was felt in almost all regions of the country.
The epicenter of the earthquake was in central Myanmar, about 30 miles east of the city of Monywa.
In the capital Naypyitaw, the quake damaged religious shrines, sending parts toppling to the ground, and some homes.
“We have started the search and going around Yangon to check for casualties and damage. So far, we have no information yet,” a Burmese fire official told Reuters.
Meanwhile, dozens are missing, and rescue teams are currently forming to search for survivors, according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre (CENC).
Further reports of damage were not immediately available from Burmese, which has for years been embroiled in a civil war.
There are reportedly 188 people injured so far in Tibet on the Chinese side of the border, reports the official Xinhua News Agency.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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