Strong earthquake rocks Thai capital of Bangkok, prompting evacuations from swaying buildings

BANGKOK (AP) — A beardown 7.7 magnitude earthquake rocked the Thai superior Friday, causing buildings to sway.

The U.S. Geological Survey and Germany’s GFZ halfway for geosciences said the midday temblor was a shallow 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), with an epicenter successful neighboring Myanmar, according to preliminary reports reports.

The greater Bangkok country is location to much than 17 cardinal people, galore of whom unrecorded successful high-rise apartments.

Alarms went disconnected successful buildings arsenic the earthquake deed astir 1:30 p.m., and startled residents were evacuated down staircases of high-rise condominiums and hotels successful densely populated cardinal Bangkok.

They remained successful the streets, seeking shadiness from the midday prima successful the minutes aft the quake.

There were nary contiguous reports of harm oregon casualties.

The quake was forceful capable to nonstop h2o sloshing retired of pools, immoderate precocious up successful high-rises, arsenic the tremor shook.

The epicenter of the earthquake was successful cardinal Myanmar, astir 50 kilometers (30 miles) eastbound of the metropolis of Monywa.

There were nary contiguous reports of the effect of the earthquake successful Myanmar, which is successful the mediate of a civilian war.