Myanmar in southeast Asia was hit by a 7.7 magnitude earthquake on Friday, seismologists said. It was shortly followed by another 6.4 quake.
The U.S. Geological Survey recorded the epicenter of the first earthquake at 16km northwest of Sagaing in Myanmar, and it had a depth of 10km. The second occurred 18km south of Sagaing and had a depth of 10km.
This is close to the city of Mandalay, the second largest in Myanmar, which has a population of around 1.6 million, according to UN estimates.
There were no immediate reports of the effect of the earthquake in Myanmar, which is in the middle of a civil war.
But buildings swayed in Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, more than 600 miles south of the epicenters. There are reports of damage caused by the quakes in Thailand shared by multiple users across social media, but these are yet to be verified.
The quake was forceful enough to send water sloshing out of pools in the city, some high up in high-rises, as the tremor shook.
The greater Bangkok area is home to more than 17 million people, many of whom live in high-rise apartments.
Alarms went off in buildings as the earthquake hit around 1:30 p.m. local time, and startled residents were evacuated down staircases of high-rise condominiums and hotels in densely populated central Bangkok.
This is a developing story and more information will be added soon.
This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.