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Strong 7.7 earthquake hits Myanmar with damages reported in Thailand

Tremors were felt in the Thai capital of Bangkok, thousands of miles away from the quake's epicentre.

A strong 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar on Friday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said, causing buildings to sway in Bangkok, the capital of neighbouring Thailand.

USGS said the earthquake was shallow with a depth of 10 kilometres. Its epicentre was near the Burmese city of Sagaing, close to Mandalay.

A second quake, with a magnitude of 6.4, shook the area 12 minutes later.

Bangkok police said a high-rise building under construction collapsed, with possible casualties are not yet known.

A video circulated on social media showed the multi-story structure sway and crumble into a cloud of dust as onlookers screamed and ran.

There were no immediate casualties reported in Myanmar, which is embroiled in civil war after a coup in 2021.

The quake caused alarms to go off in buildings across Bangkok as thousands of residents ran down staircases of high-rise apartments and hotels and onto the street.

The greater Bangkok area is home to more than 17 million people, many of whom live in high-rise apartments.

The quake was forceful enough to send water sloshing out of pools, some high up in high-rises, as the tremor shook.

Videos on social media showed people gathering in the streets of the Thai capital.

Our journalists are working on this story and will update it as soon as more information becomes available.