A powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, on Friday, making buildings tremble, media reports said. A highly viral video on social media showed a Bangkok highrise come crumbling down in a mass of dust. Police sources put the number of casualties from the building collapse at 2, with an unknown number still trapped under the debris.
IMAGE: Rescue personnel walk near a building that collapsed after a strong earthquake struck central Myanmar on Friday, earthquake monitoring services said, which affected Bangkok as well, March 28, 2025. Photograph: Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters
According to initial reports from the US Geological Survey and Germany’s GFZ geosciences center, the quake occurred at midday, with a shallow depth of 10 km (6.2 miles) and its epicentre located in nearby Myanmar, and the nation has declared a state of emergency in six regions and states.
The Bangkok metropolitan area, with a population exceeding 17 million, includes many residents living in tall apartment buildings.
Around 1:30 pm, as the earthquake hit, alarms sounded in structures, prompting frightened residents to evacuate via staircases from high-rise condos and hotels in the crowded heart of Bangkok. Afterwards, they stayed on the streets, finding shelter from the midday heat in the moments following the quake.
No immediate damage or injuries were reported.
The tremor was strong enough to cause water to spill from swimming pools, including those on upper floors of high-rises.
The earthquake’s epicentre was roughly 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of Monywa in central Myanmar, a country currently embroiled in civil conflict, though no immediate details emerged about its impact there.
