A catastrophic 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Southeast Asia on Friday morning, causing buildings to collapse in Myanmar and Thailand, with authorities declaring a state of emergency in Bangkok as rescue teams scramble to reach hundreds of trapped workers and residents while experts warn the death toll could reach thousands.
The quake originated at a depth of 6.2 miles, triggering widespread panic and destruction across multiple countries. Thailand's prime minister promptly declared a state of emergency.
During a live television broadcast in Thailand, viewers witnessed the dramatic moment when screams erupted as panic-stricken program hosts reacted to the studio violently shaking around them.
Thai media reported that seven buildings collapsed in Bangkok, with 43 workers confirmed trapped in the rubble so far. Khaosod, a prominent Thai news site, reported that the Auditor General's building under construction completely collapsed, leaving the fate of approximately 300 workers unknown at this time.
The powerful tremors were strongly felt across several countries in the region, including Thailand, India, Bangladesh, China, Laos, and Tibet. In Bangkok, Thailand's capital, buildings visibly swayed, emergency alarms blared throughout the city, and terrified residents fled into the streets seeking safety. Swimming pools atop high-rise buildings overflowed, sending cascades of water down the structures, while hundreds of people were evacuated from apartments and multi-story hotels.
Rabbi Nechemia Wilhelm, Chabad emissary in Bangkok, reported: "We felt the quake very intensely but thank God there was no damage."
A Myanmar fire department officer told Reuters: "We have begun searching and are patrolling throughout Yangon to check for casualties and damage. So far, we don't have any information yet."
A resident in Chiang Mai in northern Thailand described the experience: "I felt it for about ten seconds in my room and then realized I couldn't stay inside. So I ran outside to the street."
Devastating footage from Bangkok captured the moment one building under construction completely collapsed into a heap of rubble and twisted metal. Additional videos documented objects being violently tossed from side to side inside buildings, while footage from throughout the Thai capital showed water pouring from rooftop pools.
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Approximately 300 workers were at the Auditor General's building construction site during the earthquake. Currently, authorities cannot confirm how many managed to escape, how many remain trapped in the rubble, or how many have perished. Rescue and extraction teams are working frantically at the scene. Disturbing footage from the site shows one worker screaming in agony with only his upper body visible among the building debris.
Israelis in Bangkok during the quake shared their frightening experience with Israel Hayom: "It lasted almost four minutes. Everything moved, we felt real fear." According to their accounts, many residents quickly evacuated from high-rise buildings and gathered anxiously in the streets below.
The earthquake struck near Mandalay in central Myanmar, a city of 1.5 million residents. Circulating footage shows multiple collapsed buildings and debris scattered throughout the city streets.
At least dozens of fatalities have been confirmed in Myanmar, though officials expect the death toll to rise significantly. The country's ongoing bloody civil war and severe underdevelopment are complicating rescue operations.
Social media platforms quickly filled with videos showing the extensive damage: buildings violently shaking, terrified people fleeing through streets, and water erupting from pools on upper floors of high-rises. Multiple eyewitnesses in Bangkok continue to report concerning aftershocks.
Chinese news agency Xinhua reported that strong tremors were also felt in Yunnan province in southwestern China along the Myanmar border, though no casualties have been reported in China. Witnesses contacted by Reuters in Yangon described scenes of mass evacuation as people fled buildings throughout Myanmar's largest city.
Dr. Ariel Heimann, geologist and researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), provided context on the earthquake: "This is a powerful earthquake that severely hit Myanmar and also Bangkok. Although most of the initial information is currently coming mainly from Bangkok, I estimate that the majority of damage and casualties will be in densely populated Myanmar."
He further explained: "The shallow depth of the quake, 6.2 miles, only intensifies its destructive impact. The cause of the earthquake is the collision of the Indian subcontinent with Asia, the same collision that formed the Himalayan mountain range. According to damage assessment by the US Geological Survey, more than a thousand fatalities are expected, and this is a very conservative estimate. There is potential here for many thousands of victims."
