A strong earthquake struck central Myanmar on Friday, and people rushed out of buildings in panic in Yangon and also in Bangkok, the capital of neighbouring Thailand, witnesses said.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake was of 7.7 magnitude and at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). It was followed by a powerful aftershock.

The epicentre was about 17.2 km from the city of Mandalay, which has a population of about 1.2 million, according to USGS.

There was no immediate word from Myanmar on damage.