UP to 100,000 people are feared dead after a devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar and rocked much of Asia.

Several powerful tremors caused destruction across the continent with at least 81 people still trapped inside a collapsed skyscraper in Bangkok.

Its initial epicentre hit the city of Mandalay before five aftershocks followed minutes later – sparking a serious red alert for death and damage.

The US Geological Survey said on their official website “high casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread”.

They categorised the strength of the shaking as “violent” and said there could be up to 100,000 fatalities.

At least 12 people have been officially killed by the quake so far, according to the war-torn country’s shadow foreign minister.

Several deaths have also been confirmed in Thailand with officials warning the toll is likely to rise in the coming day.

Bangkok’s governor has already declared the Thai capital as a “disaster area”.

 

Terrifying footage from today’s ordeal has shown the moment a 30-storey skyscraper in Bangkok came crashing down – with screaming workers seen running for their lives in a cloud of debris and dust.

Another video showed gallons of water from rooftop pools at luxury high-rise buildings sloshing onto the streets below as the quake rocked the city.

Airports, train stations and the metro in both Bangkok and Myanmar have also been severely disrupted.

The German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) said the initial quake had a depth of 10km with the epicentre near the city of Mandalay, Myanmar.

A second 6.4 magnitude aftershock was also felt just 12 minutes later near the city, the US Geological Survey reported.

Myanmar’s military chief Min Aung Hlaing meets earthquake survivors in Naypyidaw hospital

  • ‘We have never experienced such a devastating quake’ – Deputy police chief

    Worapat Sukthai, deputy police chief of Bangkok’s Bang Sue district, is fearing that the death toll will continue to rise over the coming days.

    He said: “I fear many lives have been lost. We have never experienced an earthquake with such a devastating impact before.”

    Sukthai rushed to the scene of a collapsed skyscraper in Bangkok when it crumbled to the ground.

    He told AFP the screams of pain could be heard from those trapped under the rubble.

    “I heard people calling for help, saying help me,” he said.

    “We estimate that hundreds of people are injured but we are still determining the number of casualties.”

    High-rise building collapsing in Bangkok after earthquake.

    British tourist recalls earthquake horror

    A Scottish tourist travelling across Bangkok has described the moment of sheer panic which took over locals when the first tremors hit Thailand.

    Fraser Morton said there was “a lot of screaming, a lot of panic” in the capital earlier today.

    He was in a shopping mall when “all of a sudden the whole building began to move”, he told AP.

    “I just started walking calmly at first but then the building started really moving.

    “A lot of screaming, a lot of panic, people running the wrong way down the escalators, lots of banging and crashing inside the mall.”

    Fraser along with thousands of others rushed to a nearby park as the quake subsided.

    British tourist recalls earthquake horror

    A Scottish tourist travelling across Bangkok has described the moment of sheer panic which took over locals when the first tremors hit Thailand.

    Fraser Morton said there was “a lot of screaming, a lot of panic” in the capital earlier today.

    He was in a shopping mall when “all of a sudden the whole building began to move”, he told AP.

    “I just started walking calmly at first but then the building started really moving.

    “A lot of screaming, a lot of panic, people running the wrong way down the escalators, lots of banging and crashing inside the mall.”

    Fraser along with thousands of others rushed to a nearby park as the quake subsided.

    Myanmar chief asks for international humanitarian aid

    Myanmar’s ruling junta Min Aung Hlaing has sent out an urgent plea for international humanitarian aid to be sent to the devastated country.

    Hlaing was visiting a hospital in Naypyidaw to see victims of the 7.7-magnitude quake be treated, according to AFP.

    Junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun announced at the hospital: “We want the international community to give humanitarian aid as soon as possible.”