Deadly earthquake tremors felt across South East Asia, Yunnan

A 7.9-magnitude earthquake hit Myanmar at 2:20 pm on Friday, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).

The epicenter was monitored at 21.85 degrees north latitude and 95.95 degrees east longitude, with a depth of 30 kilometers, said CENC in an online post.

The tremors were strongly felt in the capital Naypyitaw and Myanmar's largest city of Yangon, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The quake was also felt across Thailand, with strong tremors reported in Bangkok. Tremors lasted for several minutes, prompting residents to evacuate high-rise buildings and gather in the streets, worsening traffic congestion in downtown Bangkok.

Bangkok police said a high-rise building under construction collapsed as a result of the earthquake. However, possible casualties remained unknown as of 2:40 pm.

Thailand's stock exchange said on Friday it is on full halt after the earthquake.

Reports showed the earthquake epicenter located 294 km from the nearest Chinese border. Strong tremors were reported in Southwest China's Yunnan province.

According to the CENC, the earthquake is the strongest detected in the world so far this year and the 17th earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 and above.

At 2:32 pm, another 6.4-magnitude earthquake was reported in Myanmar.