A massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake shook Myanmar and neighboring Thailand on Friday, collapsing buildings and causing multiple deaths. Thai officials say three people have been found dead and around 90 others are missing and believed to be still under the rubble of a high-rise building under construction that collapsed in Bangkok, the AP reports. Rescue worker Songwut Wangpon told reporters another seven people had been found alive. The 30-story structure collapsed after the quake struck at midday local time, sending the crane on top toppling to the ground and a massive plume of dust into the air. Video posted on social media and verified by the New York Times shows the collapse.
The temblor was followed by a strong 6.4 magnitude aftershock. People in Bangkok evacuated from their buildings were cautioned to stay outside in case there were more aftershocks. The city, Thailand's capital, has been declared a disaster area. The US 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. Reuters reports that the epicenter was less than 11 miles from Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city, which has a population of 1.5 million. Myanmar's ruling military junta has declared a state of emergency in several regions.
A doctor at Mandalay General Hospital tells the New York Times that the death toll is at least 20, with hundreds more injured, and the hospital is overwhelmed. A witness tells the Guardian that eight people were killed when a building under construction in the city collapsed. "The whole of Mandalay city was affected by the earthquake. The rescue teams and hospitals are now overrun," the witness says. This story has been updated with new developments. (More earthquake stories.)
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