A strong earthquake has hit Myanmar, with the effects felt as far as Thailand and Vietnam.

The magnitude-7.7 earthquake hit near Mandalay in central Myanmar, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS), at a depth of only 10 kilometres.

The midday temblor was followed by a strong 6.4 magnitude aftershock.

There is no immediate information about the impact in the country, which is in the midst of a civil war, but it was felt strongly in the Thai capital, Bangkok.

At least one person was killed and dozens of workers rescued from under the rubble of a collapsed skyscraper in Bangkok, Thailand’s National Institute of Emergency Medicine said.

USGS said the epicentre was about 17.2km from Mandalay, a city with a population of about 1.2 million. While the area is prone to earthquakes, it is generally sparsely populated and most houses are low-rise structures.

“We have started the search and going around Yangon to check for casualties and damage. So far, we have no information yet,” an officer from the Myanmar Fire Services Department told Reuters.

Social media posts from Mandalay showed collapsed buildings and debris strewn across streets.

Deep cracks seen in a roadway while motorcyclists stand stationary with their vehicles

Deep cracks were seen in roadways in the city of Naypyidaw in central Myanmar. (AFP: Sai Aung)

“We all ran out of the house as everything started shaking. I witnessed a five-storey building collapse in front of my eyes,” one witness told Reuters.

“Everyone in my town is out on the road and no one dares to go back inside buildings.“

Witnesses Reuters contacted in Yangon said many people ran out of buildings in the city, Myanmar’s largest city. There were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths.

In the capital, Naypyidaw, the quake damaged religious shrines, sending parts toppling to the ground, and some homes.

In the Sagaing region just south-west of Mandalay, a 90-year-old bridge collapsed and some sections of the highway connecting Mandalay and Yangon were also damaged.

Dozens of Thai workers trapped

A 30-storey skyscraper under construction for government offices collapsed in Bangkok on Friday, trapping 43 workers, police and medics said.

The Associated Press reported the collapse was near Bangkok’s popular Chatuchak market.

People stand at the site of a collapsed building

People stand near the site of a collapsed building in central Bangkok. (Reuters: Ann Wang)

Water from high-rise rooftop pools in Bangkok sloshed over the side as they shook, and debris fell from many buildings.

Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra called an emergency meeting to assess the impact of the quake.

Alarms went off in buildings as the earthquake hit about 1:30pm and startled residents were evacuated down staircases of high-rise condominiums and hotels in densely populated central Bangkok.

Witnesses in Bangkok said people ran out onto the streets in panic, many of them hotel guests in bathrobes and swimming costumes.

A motorcyclist wearing a helmet and two other men bending to pick up slabs of bitumen from a large roadway crack

Local residents and passing motorists in Naypyidaw appeared to begin cleaning up large slabs of bitumen from roadway cracks after the quake hit. (AFP: Stringer)

Thailand’s Department of Disaster Prevention said the quake was felt in almost all regions of the country.

The greater Bangkok area is home to more than 17 million people, many of whom live in high-rise apartments.

Trading on the stock exchange was halted for Friday’s afternoon session, local time.

“Following the earthquake incident, the Stock Exchange of Thailand hereby announces the immediate suspension of all trading activities,” the bourse operator said on its website.

China’s Xinhua news agency said strong tremors were felt in south-western Yunnan province, which borders Myanmar, but there were no reports of casualties.

ABC/wires