A powerful and shallow earthquake shook parts of Myanmar and Bangkok on Friday afternoon, reportedly causing severe damage to several buildings and forcing people to flee to the streets, although details about casualties remain unknown at this moment.
Rescue teams are seen at a construction site where a building collapsed in Bangkok.
According to the United States Geological Survey, the epicenter of the 7.7 magnitude earthquake was located only 10 miles away from Mandalay, which is Myanmar’s second most populous city.
The earthquake, which originated from a shallow depth of 6.2 miles, was followed by a powerful 6.4 magnitude aftershock.
The powerful earthquake was felt across Myanmar and parts of neighboring Thailand, including the two countries’ biggest cities, Yangon and Bangkok, where people rushed to evacuate their buildings.
Details about casualties and destruction caused by the earthquake are still unknown, but Reuters reported that some buildings may have collapsed in Mandalay, while the Associated Press reported about the collapse of at least one under-construction high-rise in Bangkok.
This is a developing story.