7.7-magnitude earthquake rocks Thailand and Myanmar – National

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake rocked Thailand and neighboring Myanmar on Friday, killing at least three people in Bangkok, burying dozens of people when a high-rise building collapsed and prompting Myanmar to declare a widespread state of emergency.

The center of Temblor, near Mandalay, Myanmar's second largest city, is followed by a magnitude 6.4 aftershocks.

The government of Myanmar's military-running declared a state of emergency in six regions and states, including the capital Naypyitaw and Mandalay, but with the country's long bloody civil war, it's unclear how to help many regions.

The Red Cross said the lowered power lines are increasing the challenges of teams trying to reach Mandalay and Sagan areas and South Hill State.

“Preliminary reports from the ground indicate that the earthquake has caused significant damage,” the Red Cross said. “Information on humanitarian needs is still being collected.”

In Bangkok, a construction worker was killed when he hit his truck at a collapsed construction site and another was crushed by debris.

Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said the three were killed at the scene and 90 were missing. He no longer provides details about the ongoing rescue efforts, but the first responder said seven people had been rescued away from the collapsed building.

Rescuers said the rubble was still too unstable and they were trying to find someone who might be trapped below.

Drama video of the collapse of the building near the popular Chatuchak market in Bangkok on social media shows the multi-storey building in the top of the building being filled with dust while onlookers scream and running around.

Elsewhere, people in Bangkok were evacuated from buildings just in case there were more aftershocks.

According to preliminary reports, the U.S. Geological Survey and the German GFZ Center for Earth Sciences said the earthquake was 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) of shallows.

The sirens echoed the streets throughout central Bangkok and on vehicles, putting some of the already crowded streets in the city. Elevated rapid transport system and subway were closed.

Get national news

For news that affects Canada and around the world, please sign up for breaking news alerts that were sent directly to you at the time.

The City Hall declared the city a disaster area to promote inter-agency assistance and emergency assistance. The Greater Bangkok area is home to more than 17 million people, many of whom live in high-rise apartments.

April Kanichawanakul, working in an office building in central Bangkok, initially didn't even realize it was an earthquake, the first time she'd ever experienced. “I just thought I was dizzy,” she said.

She and her colleagues ran downstairs from Tonson Tower on the tenth floor of the building, waiting outside for a signal that it could be safely back.

“Suddenly, the whole building began to move. Immediately screamed and panicked,” said Fraser Morton, a tourist in Scotland, who is one of the many shopping malls in Bangkok who buys camera equipment.

“I just started walking calmly, but then the buildings started to really move, yes, a lot of screaming, panic, people walked along the escalator the wrong way, slamming and crashing inside the mall.”

Like Morton, thousands of people poured into apartment buildings on Bangkok’s busy Sukhumvit Road from nearby shopping malls, high rises and apartment buildings.

Many try to reach loved ones as others seek shadows from the hot afternoon sun. Others stared in fear at the tall buildings in densely packed parts of the city.

“I walked outside and looked up at the building, the whole building was moving, dust and debris, and it was very intense,” Morton said. “A lot of chaos.”

Voranoot Thirawat, a lawyer who works in central Bangkok, said her first sign was that something went wrong as she swung back and forth. Then she heard the building squeaking as it moved back and forth from the shock wave.

She and her colleagues ran 12 stairs. “In my life, there was no such earthquake in Bangkok.”

Paul Vincent, a tourist visiting from England, was in the street bar when the earthquake struck.

“The next thing, everyone came to the street, so screaming and panic, which obviously made the situation worse,” he said.

When he took the streets himself, he said he saw a high-rise building swaying in the rooftop pool and water fell.

“When I saw this building, oh my god, that was… when it hit me.” “Someone was crying in the street, you know, panic was really scary.”

According to videos and photos posted on Facebook social media, in Mandalay, Myanmar's second largest city, the earthquake damaged part of the former royal palace and buildings.

Although the area is prone to earthquakes, it is sparsely populated and most of the houses are low-rise buildings.

In the Sagan area southwest of Mandalay, a 90-year-old bridge collapsed, and some parts of the expressway link connecting Mandalay to Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, were also damaged.

When the earthquake struck, Yangon residents rushed out of their homes. There were no immediate reports of injury or death.

In Naypyitaw, the earthquake damaged religious shrines, poured parts on the ground, and some houses.

According to Chinese media reports, in the northeast, earthquakes were felt in the provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan in China and caused damage to houses and injuries in the city of Ruri on the border with Myanmar.

A media said video it received from Ruili showed debris from buildings littering debris on the streets and a person was driven to an ambulance on a stretcher.

A resident told the Online Media newspaper that the swaying of the Chinese city of Mangshi, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) northeast of Ruri was so intense that people could not bear it.

Residents in Kunming, the capital of Eun Province, told the newspaper that her ceiling light was running wildly and shaking lasted for more than 10 seconds.

Thailand's disaster prevention department said earthquakes were felt in almost all parts of the country.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra convened an emergency meeting to assess the impact of the earthquake.

Adam Schreck, Haruka Naga, Jerry Harmer, Grant Peck and Penny Wang contributed to the report in Bangkok, Jamesy Keaten of Geneva and Ken Moritsugu of Beijing.