At least 25 people have been killed as massive earthquakes of magnitude 7.7 and 6.4 on the Richter Scale jolted Myanmar on Friday. Strong tremors were felt in the capital of Thailand, Bangkok, and several areas of Vietnam.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), an earthquake of 7.7 magnitude hit Myanmar at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles) at around 11.50 am. The epicentre was about 17.2 km from the city of Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city, which has a population about 1.5 million, according to USGS. It was followed by a powerful aftershock, Reuters reported.
Another earthquake of magnitude 6.4 hit the country at around 12.02 pm. The temblor hit 18 km south of Sagaing.
Also Read: Thailand Earthquake Live Updates
Social media posts from Mandalay, Myanmar's ancient royal capital that is at the centre of its Buddhist heartland, showed collapsed buildings and debris strewn across streets of the city.
Chinese authorities warned of the possibility of a tsunami, according to a report on state-owned CCTV, Bloomberg reported.
Strong tremors were felt in Bangkok, Thailand. Visuals shared on social media platforms showed building intensely shaking as the earthquake struck.
Witnesses in Bangkok said people ran out onto the streets in panic and water splashed out of swimming pools. An under-construction building also collapsed as the quake struck.
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who was in a meeting in the resort town of Phuket, ordered immediate discussions on the quake.
There were also unconfirmed reports of a building collapse in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district, while the shaking was felt as far north as Chiang Mai.
Bangkok’s BTS skytrain has suspended services, while the stock and futures exchanges halted trading, Bloomberg reported.
The temblor could also be felt in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, where lights were swaying from the shaking and thousands of people rushed out of the buildings.
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