Earthquake rocks Myanmar and Thailand: Heartbreaking photos, video show extent of devastation
The 7.7 magnitude quake toppled a high-rise that was under construction in Bangkok, more than 500 miles away from the epicenter.
A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand on Friday, destroying buildings, damaging roads and bridges, and leaving more than 150 people dead.
The 7.7 magnitude quake struck at midday about 10 miles from Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city with a population of about 1.5 million. Strong aftershocks followed, including one that was measured at 6.4 magnitude, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The head of Myanmar’s military government, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, said on state-run television that at least 144 people were killed and 730 others were injured in the war-torn country.
In Bangkok, Thailand’s capital city, officials said that at least 10 people were killed, more than a dozen injured and about 100 others missing.
The death toll in both countries was expected to rise.
Stunning photos and videos captured just some of the destruction left by the quake.
In Bangkok, emergency crews and first responders raced to a high-rise under construction that collapsed. A video taken by a motorist on a highway showed the moment the 33-story building fell.
Other images showed people who flooded into the streets as buildings swayed. Traffic in the central part of the city came to a standstill Friday evening as aftershocks shut down the rail system.
Photos from Mandalay, Myanmar, showed multiple buildings that had collapsed and one tipped on its side. Images from Naypyitaw, Myanmar's capital, showed rescue crews pulling victims from the rubble.