Two powerful earthquakes struck Myanmar this morning (Friday) and were felt in several countries in Southeast Asia.
Seismological institutes around the world reported that one of them was 7.7 on the Richter scale, and the other was 6.4 on the Richter scale. They were separated by 12 minutes.
Want more news, videos and stories? Join the Haredim 10 WhatsApp channel >>
The epicenter of the earthquake was 17 km from the city of Mandalay in central Myanmar.
According to reports from Myanmar, 20 people were killed in a mosque in the city of Mandalay, where dozens of buildings collapsed and extensive damage was caused. The Ava Bridge, which crosses the Irrawaddy River, also collapsed.
In Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, one of the 7.3 magnitude tremors was felt. Hotels were evacuated from tourists and a building near Chatuchak Market that was under construction collapsed.
The French news agency reported that at least 43 workers were trapped at the construction site. A state of emergency has been declared in the city.
Singer and content creator Moshe Kursia, who is traveling in Bangkok, told Gan News: "Every now and then there's some kind of earthquake here. It was a very serious earthquake. The whole hotel shook, the water flew out of the pool. There are a lot of people suffering from anxiety, but no one was physically injured.".
Chabad emissary in Bangkok, Rabbi Nehemiah Wilhelm, says that the earthquake was felt strongly, but Chabad houses were not damaged and currently there are no known Jewish casualties.
