7.7 magnitude earthquake hits Myanmar, tremors felt in Thailand and parts of China

A powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit central Myanmar a short while ago, with tremors felt south into Thailand, with residents in the capital of Bangkok running into the streets as buildings shook.

The tremor hit 16 kilometres (10 miles) northwest of the city of Sagaing, Myanmar, at a depth of 10 kilometres around 12:50 p.m. local time (9:20 a.m. Israel time), USGS says.

“I heard it and I was sleeping in the house, I ran as far as I could in my pyjamas out of the building,” Duangjai, a resident of popular tourist city Chiang Mai, tells AFP after tremors were felt across northern and central Thailand.

Tremors were also felt in China’s southwest Yunnan province, according to Beijing’s quake agency.

The China Earthquake Networks Center says the jolt measured magnitude 7.9, according to the Xinhua news agency, with a social media post by CENC saying “tremors were felt in Yunnan.”