Watch: Woman gives birth on Bangkok street as earthquake tremors prompt hospital evacuation

A baby was delivered on a stretcher as hospital staff assisted the mother, moments after tremors forced an evacuation.

A woman in Bangkok delivered her baby on a street after being forced to evacuate a hospital due to tremors from a devastating earthquake with an epicentre in Myanmar on Friday. The birth took place on a stretcher as hospital staff surrounded the mother and assisted in the delivery.

The death toll in Myanmar has risen to nearly 700 as more bodies are recovered. (X/@i30199)

Patients from King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital and BNH Hospital were evacuated to a park, with some in stretchers and wheelchairs. Meanwhile, hospital staff provided care to patients outside the hospital buildings.

A video of the incident has been widely shared on social media, capturing the dramatic moment when the baby was born amid the chaotic aftermath of the earthquake.

Watch the video here:

Meanwhile, the death toll from the powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar has risen to nearly 700 as more bodies are recovered from the rubble. The quake struck near Mandalay on Friday afternoon, causing massive destruction, including collapsed buildings, damaged roads, and a burst dam.

State-run television MRTV reported that 694 people have been confirmed dead, with 1,670 injured and 68 still missing. The same figures were cited by independent news site The Irrawaddy.

The earthquake, followed by multiple aftershocks, including one measuring 6.4 magnitude, caused widespread destruction. Buildings crumbled, roads buckled, and bridges collapsed, further complicating rescue and recovery efforts in the already crisis-stricken nation.

The toll includes casualties from a hospital in Naypyidaw, which doctors described to AFP as a potential "mass casualty area," a mosque in Mandalay that collapsed during prayers, and a university building in the same city where a fire broke out.

Myanmar's junta chief, Min Aung Hlaing, warned that the death toll is expected to rise. He declared an emergency and appealed for aid, urging "any country and any organisation" to provide assistance.

Tremors were felt as far as northern Thailand, prompting the suspension of some metro and rail services in Bangkok. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra cut short an official visit to Phuket to convene an emergency meeting before declaring a state of emergency in the city.