Massive 7.7-magnitude earthquake rocks central Myanmar as tremors felt in Thailand

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A massive 7.7 -scene earthquake hit Myanmar on Friday, with equally strong tremor shuffling the neighboring Southeast Asian country Thailand.

The earthquake hit a depth of 10 km, about 17.2 km from the city of Mandalay in Myanmar, which has a population of 1.2 million people, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

A high building under construction collapsed due to the earthquake in the Thai capital Bangkok and killed at least one person, local police said, adding that dozens of workers were rescued.

There was no immediate report on Myanmar victims after the earthquake, but the strong jerk forced hundreds of people in Bangkok to chase panicked from the buildings. The earthquake was powerful enough to send water out of the pools.

Myanmar’s fire services division said: “We have started the search and to look at Yangon at casualties and damage. So far we have no information yet.”

The country is currently in the midst of a bloody civil war, which originated after the coup of the military in February 2021.

An earthquake of 7.7 shocked Myanmar (The Independent/ DataWrapper)

In Mandalay, the second largest city of Myanmar and near the epicenter, the earthquake damaged part of the former royal palace and buildings. The 90-year-old Colonial Era Ava Bridge, which connected Mandalay and Sagaing regions, collapsed shortly after the first junk in the Irrawady River. Since then, Myanmar has recorded several aftershocks between 6.2 and 4.9 sizes.

“We all ran out of the house as everything started to shake. I saw a five -story building collapses in front of my eyes, “a witness told Reuters.

“Everyone in my city is on the way and no one dares to go back inside buildings.”

The land in Myanmar reportedly shook violently about half a minute before settling. In the Thai tourist city of Chiang Mai, a resident to AFP news agency said: “I heard it and I slept in the house, I ran out of the building as far as I could in my pajamas.”

In the capital of Naypyitaw, the earthquake damaged religious shrines and sent parts to the ground and a few houses.

Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra declared an emergency in Bangkok on Friday afternoon after holding an ‘urgent meeting’, AFP reports. The Thai Department of Disaster Prevention said the earthquake feels in almost all parts of the country.

People are standing near a collapsed building after a strong earthquake hit Central Myanmar on Friday, (Reuters)

“I’ve experienced earthquakes in Myanmar twice before, but it was only one second, one big bang, but here it went on at least a minute,” Zsuzsanna Vari-Kovacs, a Hungarian resident of Bangkok, told The Associated Press. “My husband was in a high turnout, I think it’s even worse.”

The tremor was also felt in Laos and China on the east side of Myanmar and parts of India.

Myanmar saw six strong earthquakes of 7.0 or more, which struck near the sagaing error between 1930 and 1956. A powerful 6.8 delinquency earthquake in the ancient capital Bagan killed three people in 2016 and crumbled temple walls at the popular tourist destination.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed “concern” about the trail of destruction after the earthquake. “India is ready to offer all possible help. In this regard, we have asked authorities to be on standby,” Modi on X said.

Thailand is one of the most favorite tourist destinations for Indians in South Asia. ‘Also asked the mea [Ministry of External Affairs] To keep in touch with the governments of Myanmar and Thailand, “the prime minister added.

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