The prime minister has declared Bangkok an emergency zone after a 7.4-magnitude quake rocked Bangkok this afternoon.
Paetongtarn Shinawatra was in Phuket province when the tremor rocked the capital.
At least a worker was killed and 43 others missing when a building under construction in Bangkok collapsed this afternoon.
A viral video clip showed the under-construction building collapsing in Chatuchak district, scattering debris around the area.
The Thai Meteorological Department reported that the midday tremor was a shallow one, at a depth of 10 kilometers, with its epicenter in neighboring Myanmar.
A viral video clip showed the under-construction building collapsing in Chatuchak district, scattering debris around the area.
Another video clip showed water from a rooftop swimming pool of a high-rise condominium splashing down.
The tremor could be felt even on the second floor of the Thai PBS World office on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road.
Telephone and internet signals were also disrupted during and after the quake.
MRT’s blue and purple lines in Bangkok suspended their services shortly after the quake.
Witnesses said members of communities huddled together to discuss what they described as an unprecedented experience.
People evacuated buildings, with even those living in one- or two-story homes running out of their residences and refusing to go back inside.
At a Bangkok café, ceiling lights swayed, and many doors opened and closed by themselves.
Car drivers said they felt the streets move. “It was so scary,” one said. “I thought my swinging-house syndrome (vertigo) was coming back to attack me.”
People called friends and family members to check about their well-beings. Internet or phone disruptions amplified fear and worries.
