At least 153 people dead and more than 700 injured after in Myanmar and Thailand following 7.7 magnitude earthquake
More than 150 people have been killed - and the death toll is expected to climb - after a massive earthquake shook Myanmar and Thailand, sending multi-storey buildings crashing to the ground.
Officials in Myanmar are pleading for global assistance after a massive earthquake rocked the nation, leaving at least 144 people dead and more than 700 others injured.
A magnitude 7.7 tremor shook central Myanmar and neighbouring Thailand on Friday around midday at a depth of just 10 kilometres, according to the US Geological Survey.
Powerful aftershocks, one recorded at magnitude 6.4, followed 12 minutes later.
Residents in villages caught in the middle of Myanmar's civil war and parts of Bangkok, Thailand's capital, were forced to run out of homes and buildings into the street.
According to media on the ground, religious shrines and some homes were damaged, while several high-rises could be seen swaying in the sky.
Dashcam footage captured the moment an under-construction apartment building in Bangkok collapsed to the ground, as dozens of workers who fled ran for their lives.
Eight others inside were killed, with rescue dogs brought to the scene to try and find more than 100 missing people feared trapped under tonnes of concrete and metal.
Thai officials also reported at least one other death.
Elsewhere, 140 monks are reportedly trapped after a monastery fell in Amarapura.
"I have never experienced anything like this before—our town looks like a collapsed city," one rescuer said, adding at least 20 per cent of the town's buildings have collapsed.
"We received calls for help from people from the inside (of buildings), but we cannot help because we do not have enough manpower and machines to remove the debris."
One video filmed by a local showed pool water from the top level of a Thai apartment spilling over the edge, creating what appeared to be a waterfall.
Rescue efforts have continued into the night, with excavators at the sites of buildings which have been levelled as teams are against the clock to find survivors.
A state of emergency has been declared in Bangkok and Myanmar.
In a statement, the National Unity Government of Myanmar said extensive damage has been reported and landslides have cut off vital roads and bridges.
"Authorities are currently compiling reports on casualties and damage while conducting search and rescue operations, relocation efforts and reconstruction activities," it said.
The government has urged its residents to stay clear of high-rises and other buildings due to structural cracks, ground fractures and the possibility of further aftershocks.
Myanmar's Foreign Affairs Minister Zin Mar Aung is pleading with the international community for humanitarian aid and "technical" assistance.
The United Nations has responded and is sending resources.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he understood other countries are impacted, but Myanmar has been prioritised as it is the "weakest country in this situation".
The World Health Organisation is also preparing to send medical supplies to the nation.
“We’ve activated our logistics hub to look particularly for trauma supplies and things like external fixators because we expect that there will be many, many injuries that need to be dealt with," WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris said to reporters.
She added the organisation knows what to prioritise first after the experience from the 2023 Turkey-Syria quake that left more than 50,000 people dead.