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A building collapsed in Bangkok, Thailand following a massive earthquake in Myanmar on Friday, March 28.
At least three people have been killed in Bangkok, Thailand, after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck neighboring Myanmar on Friday, March 28.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) confirmed the earthquake occurred 16 km (about 10 miles) northwest of Sagaing, with a second 6.4-magnitude quake hitting 18 km (around 11 miles) south of the city about 12 minutes later. Both quakes had a depth of 10 km (approximately 6.2 miles).
Following the collapse of a building in the capital, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra declared Bangkok “an emergency zone,” according to a Thai government post on X.
Fifty people were believed to be inside an unfinished 30-story building near Chatuchak Park when it collapsed, with 43 construction workers still unaccounted for, according to the BBC, citing Thai authorities.
The Associated Press reported that Thailand’s defense minister confirmed three deaths from the building collapse, with an additional 90 people still missing.
Video footage and photos shared by the BBC showed cracked roads and damaged buildings in Myanmar’s capital, Naypyidaw, as well as water spilling onto the streets from a rooftop pool at a high-rise in Bangkok.
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In response, Thailand’s police chief has ordered “nationwide assistance,” as stated in a Thai government post on X. The post added that officers have been “evacuating people from unsafe buildings, helping victims, and managing traffic,” and that “police hospitals are on standby for emergencies.”
Fraser Morton, a tourist from Scotland, was shopping in a mall when he described, “All of a sudden, the whole building began to move,” according to the AP.
“Immediately, there was screaming and a lot of panic,” Morton told the news agency. “I initially started walking calmly, but then the building really started shaking. There was a lot of screaming, panic, people running the wrong way down the escalators, and lots of banging and crashing inside the mall.”
“I got outside and looked up at the building, and the whole structure was swaying, with dust and debris falling—it was pretty intense,” the tourist added. “It was complete chaos.”
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A massive earthquake hit central Myanmar on Friday, March 28.
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Paul Vincent, visiting from England, shared with the AP that he saw water pouring from the rooftop pool of a building in the city. “When I saw the building, oh my God, that’s when… it hit me,” he said. “There were people crying in the streets, and the panic was just horrific.”
Sai, a 76-year-old Chiang Mai resident, was working at a minimart when the earthquake struck. “I quickly rushed out of the shop along with other customers,” he told the Bangkok Post. “This is the strongest tremor I’ve experienced in my life.”
