Two earthquakes hit Myanmar, Thailand; tremors felt in Manipur, Meghalaya

Mild tremors were felt in Manipur and Meghalaya on Friday after a powerful 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck Thai capital Bangkok

Two strong earthquakes rocked Myanmar and Thailand on Friday with its impact being felt in northeastern states including Manipur and Meghalaya, officials aware of the developments said.

Workers react while sitting on ground after a strong earthquake struck central Myanmar on Friday. (AP photo)

The first earthquake of 7.2 magnitude struck around 11:50am while the second earthquake of 7 magnitude occurred around 12:02pm, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Manipur centre, Ministry of Earth Sciences preliminary location report of the earthquake said.

However, there was no report of any damage in Manipur which shares over 390km long international border with Myanmar, till the filing of the report.

Locals in Imphal’s Rupmahal tank came out of their respective homes when the first quake struck the state capital.

“We felt the first earthquake as the water in our pond was shaking”, a resident of Kangjabi Leirak Nagamapal in Imphal Town said.

Bangkok: Under construction high rise collapses

A high-rise building under construction in Bangkok collapsed after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake rocked Thailand and neighboring Myanmar on Friday.

A video circulated on social media showed the multi-story building with a crane on top collapsing into a cloud of dust, while onlookers screamed and ran.

Police told The Associated Press they were responding to the scene near Bangkok’s popular Chatuchak Market, and had no immediate information on how many workers were on the site at the time of the collapse.

The US Geological Survey and Germany’s GFZ center for geosciences said the earthquake was a shallow 10km (6.2 miles), with an epicenter in Myanmar, according to preliminary reports, as reported by news agency AP.

The quake forced the suspension of some metro and light rail services in Bangkok, where Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra declared a state of emergency.

Earthquakes are relatively common in Myanmar, where six strong quakes of 7.0 magnitude or more struck between 1930 and 1956 near the Sagaing Fault, which runs north to south through the centre of the country, according to the USGS.

(With agency inputs)