A 7.7 magnitude earthquake has struck Myanmar with thousands of people feared dead. Officials have declared a state of emergency, as rescue efforts continue to find those who are missing.
Strong tremors were also felt in Thailand and in southwest China. Many buildings across the region have been reduced to rubble. Our correspondent Catherine Drew reports.
Strong tremors were also felt in Thailand and in southwest China. Many buildings across the region have been reduced to rubble. Our correspondent Catherine Drew reports.
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00:00Schools of construction workers were on the site of this government office building in Bangkok when the quake struck, reducing it to ruins in just seconds.
00:10Rescue teams responded, searching for missing workers. Officials saying that voices could be heard calling for help.
00:19Even though Bangkok is 1,000 kilometers away from the epicenter of the quake, skyscrapers in Thailand's capital swayed for minutes,
00:28prompting water to fall from rooftop pools onto the streets below.
00:34Some people posted these videos from the rooftop of skyscrapers.
00:40Public transport in Bangkok was suspended. These dramatic pictures of the effects of the quake on the SkyTrain.
00:48Office workers and tourists crowded outside, fearful of aftershocks.
00:53Immediately there was screaming, there was a lot of panic. I just started walking calmly at first, but then the building started really moving.
01:01And yeah, a lot of screaming, a lot of panic.
01:04The initial shock in Myanmar was followed a short time later by a second quake measuring 6.4 magnitude.
01:11The military-ruled country has made a rare request for international aid.
01:16Six regions have declared a state of emergency. Roads in the capital, Napidaw, buckled and split.
01:22Local TV showed office buildings to have been damaged.
01:26The epicenter was just 17 kilometers from the city of Mandalay, which has a population of around 1.5 million people.
01:34Myanmar's colonial-era Ava Bridge, which was built by the British in 1934 over the Irrawaddy River, could be seen to have collapsed.
01:43Meanwhile, China's southwest Yunnan province, around 300 kilometers from Mandalay, was also affected.
01:51Video postage showed people running as buildings shake.
01:55A clearer picture of the devastation caused will emerge from the region the coming days,
02:00with some fearing Myanmar's crumbling infrastructure and strained medical system will struggle to cope with the aftermath.
02:08Catherine Drew, CGTN.