‘The city was at a standstill’: Panic in Bangkok as tremors from Myanmar quake spark evacuations

Thailand’s capital, meanwhile, has been declared a disaster area, with the Bangkok governor placed in charge of coordinating the disaster response.

Mrs Cindy Casey Henwood and her husband, who are in Thailand on a business trip, just started their lunch at the shopping mall EmSphere when the shaking began. 

“It was pretty bad. The ground, table, lights, everything was wobbling,” she said, before adding that she would not consider it a massive shaking.

The couple decided to evacuate, and by the time they reached the exit, people were shouting and screaming.

When they returned to their hotel, they were told to leave the building due to possible aftershocks.

An alarm sounded from her hotel, and everyone was waiting outside, clueless, she told CNA.

Mr Alan Phuang, who arrived in Bangkok with friends on Friday, was also told to evacuate from his hotel and described the process as “orderly”. 

“While this is the first time I’m experiencing an earthquake, I feel calm (about) the situation,” he said. 

Tremors from the earthquake were also felt in Chiang Mai, said Ms Cecil Ng, who had been in a shopping mall when she felt the ground shake. 

Staff began to run out of their shops and the escalators stopped, she said.