"Bangkok ground to a halt on Friday after a strong earthquake shook the clogged Thai capital, causing chaos and triggering citywide evacuations that left many thousands of people stranded for much of the day.
All urban rail systems were suspended and roads were gridlocked across one of Asia’s biggest cities after the earthquake in neighboring Burma caused tremors up to a magnitude of 7.1 in Bangkok, about 1,020km from the epicenter.
The earthquake killed nine people in Bangkok, including eight laborers who died after the collapse of a 33-storey building that was under construction. Rescuers with dogs searched for signs of life, with more than 100 missing at the site, authorities said.
Foreign tourists – some shirtless, bathrobes or swim shorts – had to leave their hotels and mingled with throngs of office workers evacuated from high-rise towers in Bangkok’s commercial districts, many in shock at a rare quake that caused some skyscrapers to sway for minutes." IrishTimes
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