(Reuters) March 28 – A strong earthquake rocked Southeast Asia on Friday, bringing down a skyscraper under construction in Bangkok and toppling buildings in neighbouring Myanmar’s second-largest city.
At least one person was killed and dozens of workers rescued from under the rubble of the skyscraper, Thailand’s National Institute of Emergency Medicine said.
Witnesses in Bangkok said people ran out onto the streets in panic, many of them hotel guests in bathrobes and swimming costumes as water cascaded down from an elevated pool at a luxury hotel.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake, which struck at lunchtime, 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 in Myanmar, which has a population of about 1.5 million.
There was no immediate word from Myanmar authorities on damage.
An officer from the Myanmar Fire Services Department told Reuters: “We have started the search and are going around Yangon to check for casualties and damage. So far, we have no information yet.”
