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Moment terrified swimmers trapped in rooftop pool as massive earthquake sends water cascading down to street

The earthquake has proved devastating
The earthquake has proved devastating. Picture: Social media

By Kit Heren

This is the moment a group of terrified swimmers realised that they had been hit with an earthquake on their holiday.

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Footage from Bangkok, which was struck by an earthquake 800 miles away on Friday, shows water rising up in a luxury pool on top of a skyscraper.

The water splashes over the edge of the infinity pool, the waves growing larger and larger as the earthquake's tremors intensify.

The footage, filmed by a British tourist, shows the swimmers becoming steadily more and more alarmed.

Other videos filmed from outside show rooftop pools splashing over the edge and water pouring down the outside of skyscrapers in huge cascades.

The 7.7 earthquake, whose epicentre was a few miles north of the Myanmar city of Mandalay, hundreds of miles away from the Thai capital, may have killed thousands, although no official death toll or estimate has been issued yet.

Read more: Huge 7.7 earthquake in Myanmar sparks panic in Bangkok 800 miles away as dozens trapped after tower collapses

Read more: At least 95 killed and dozens injured after 7.1-magnitude earthquake hits China

Warning: video contains swear words

The US Geological Survey and Germany's GFZ centre for geosciences said the incident was at a shallow 6.2 miles.

A second quake, with a magnitude of 6.4, shook the area 12 minutes later.

Other footage shows a skyscraper collapsing while under construction, with at least two dead and 70 trapped inside. Around 20 are trapped in lift shafts.

Another video shows a towering crane working on the skyscraper begin to teeter and then fall to the ground.

Reports have circulated of many other deaths from collapsing buildings in Myanmar.

The effects of the earthquake were felt as far away as China, India and Vietnam.

Rescue workers walk past debris of a construction site after a building collapsed in Bangkok on March 28, 2025, following an earthquake
Rescue workers walk past debris of a construction site after a building collapsed in Bangkok on March 28, 2025, following an earthquake. Picture: Getty
Damage is seen along a road in Naypyidaw on March 28, 2025, after an earthquake in central Myanmar. A powerful earthquake hit Myanmar and neighbouring Thailand on March 28
Damage is seen along a road in Naypyidaw on March 28, 2025, after an earthquake in central Myanmar. A powerful earthquake hit Myanmar and neighbouring Thailand on March 28. Picture: Getty

Several other videos go some way to capturing the terror and confusion felt by people affected by the earthquake.

A clip from Mandalay airport, which has closed due to damage, shows would-be passengers crouching in fear and alarm on the tarmac.

More footage shows a large suspension bridge collapsing into a river near Mandalay.

Another video, filmed in the Bangkok metro, shows a train swaying wildly from the tremors.

People got out and are seen holding onto each other for safety.

The number of victims across the whole region is unclear, but in Myanmar alone the death toll is somewhere in the hundreds, according to an emergency worker.

"The number of deaths is... quite high," they told the BBC. "That's all we can say right now because the rescue efforts are ongoing.

"The exact number of casualties is not yet known, but it is at least in the hundreds."

A state of emergency was declared in six regions and states in Myanmar.

Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra called an emergency meeting to assess the impact of the 7.7 magnitude earthquake.

Myanmar is in the middle of a civil war.

In the capital Naypyitaw, the earthquake damaged religious shrines, sending parts toppling to the ground, and some homes.

In Mandalay, the country's second-largest city and close to the epicentre, the earthquake damaged part of the former royal palace and buildings, according to videos and photos released on Facebook.

While the area is prone to earthquakes, it is generally sparsely populated, and most houses are low-rise structures.