Central Myanmar was rocked by a strong earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said. The tremor caused roads to collapse in the capital Naypyidaw and was felt in China and Thailand, AFP reported.
The epicentre of the quake was located 16 km northwest of the city of Sagaing at a depth of 10 km at around 12:50 local time (08:20 BST).
Some metro and light rail services were suspended in Bangkok.
AFP journalists in Naypyidaw reported that roads collapsed from the force of the quake and pieces of ceilings fell from buildings.
The tremor was also felt in northern Thailand and in the capital Bangkok, where residents fled into the streets as buildings shook.
The quake also rocked southwest China's Yunnan province, the Beijing Earthquake Agency said, which said the tremor was magnitude 7.9.
According to the USGS, earthquakes are relatively common in Myanmar, where between 1930 and 1956 six strong quakes of magnitude 7 or more occurred near the Sagain fault, which runs north-south through the centre of the country.
In 2016, a powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake in the ancient capital of Bagan in central Myanmar killed three people and also toppled towers and destroyed temple walls in the tourist destination. | BGNES
