7.7 magnitude earthquake hits Myanmar, shakes buildings in Bangkok

A strong 7.7 magnitude earthquake rocked the Thai capital Friday, causing buildings to sway.

The U.S. Geological Survey and Germany’s GFZ center for geosciences said the midday temblor was a shallow 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), with an epicenter in neighboring Myanmar, according to preliminary reports reports.

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

Alarms went off in buildings as the earthquake hit around 1:30 p.m. local time (2:30 a.m. ET), and startled residents were evacuated down staircases of high-rise condominiums and hotels in densely populated central Bangkok.

They remained in the streets, seeking shade from the midday sun in the minutes after the quake.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The quake was forceful enough to send water sloshing out of pools, some high up in high-rises, as the tremor shook.

The epicenter of the earthquake was in central Myanmar, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of the city of Monywa.

There were no immediate reports of the effect of the earthquake in Myanmar, which is in the middle of a civil war.