A monstrous 7.7 magnitude earthquake tore through Thailand and Myanmar on Friday, toppling a Bangkok high-rise under construction and leaving at least three dead, with dozens feared buried. A 6.4 aftershock piled on the havoc, rocking Myanmar’s Mandalay region—already battered by civil war—where videos show homes flattened and roads split.
In Bangkok, a crane-capped building near Chatuchak market crashed in a choking dust cloud, captured on video as screams pierced the air. Two workers died—one crushed by debris, another trapped in his truck—while a third victim was confirmed by Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai. Ninety are missing; seven have been pulled alive from the rubble, though unstable wreckage slows rescue efforts. Sirens wailed, transit shut down, and traffic choked the capital’s streets.
Myanmar’s military junta declared emergencies across six regions, including Naypyitaw and Mandalay, begging for blood donations amid a spiraling crisis. Collapsed bridges, wrecked highways, and downed power lines cripple aid efforts, the Red Cross warns. In China’s border city Ruili, injuries and debris pile up, while Yunnan residents report wild shaking.
Panic gripped Bangkok’s 17 million residents. “The building swayed, people screamed—chaos everywhere,” said Scottish tourist Fraser Morton, fleeing a mall. Office worker April Kanichawanakul mistook the quake for dizziness before bolting down 10 floors. “Never felt this in Bangkok,” said lawyer Voranoot Thirawat, after a 12-story stair dash.
Shallow at 10 kilometers, per the U.S. Geological Survey, this quake hit harder than the region’s usual tremors. Thailand’s PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra scrambled an emergency meeting as Bangkok’s city hall dubbed it a disaster zone. For two nations, it’s a race against rubble—and time.