Three construction workers are dead and dozens are missing in the rubble of a collapsed high-rise building under construction in Bangkok.
The disaster occurred around 1.40pm local time and followed a 7.7 magnitude earthquake with its epicentre in central Myanmar.
The building, in the central Jatujak district, had some 350 workers on site when the collapse happened.
Smartphone footage distributed on social media captured the moment when the nearly complete building suddenly disintegrates, engulfing workers running for safety in a giant dust cloud.
Other clips showed a collapsing tower crane, street lights bending like trees in a gale and water spilling down the sides of a residential tower from a rooftop swimming pool. On the Bangkok Skytrain, carriages rocked back and forth.
Other buildings are thought to have collapsed, and many residents report cracks appearing in their apartment blocks. People gathered in the streets and parks as aftershocks continued.
Emergency workers are still assessing the scale of the tragedy.
Thailand’s National Institute for Emergency Medicine is reporting that as many as 70 workers are missing, including 20 who are trapped in lift shafts. These figures are expected to change as the situation becomes clearer.
A field hospital has been set up at the scene as rescuers continue to search the rubble for survivors.
Residents in Bangkok said the tremors were the most extreme in living memory. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra urged the public to beware of further collapses.
“I ask that you all stay calm, every agency and ministry has been notified and is ready to help,” she told reporters.
The effects of the quake in Myanmar are unclear, although hundreds of homes are thought to have collapsed in a number of cities.
- Subscribe here to get stories about construction around the world in your inbox three times a week
