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

Germany’s GFZ centre for geosciences said the midday temblor was a shallow 10km (6.2 miles), with an epicentre in neighbouring Myanmar, according to temporary reports.

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

Alarms went off in buildings as the earthquake hit around 1.30pm (local time), 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. Some metro and light rail services were suspended in Bangkok.

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

“I heard it and I was sleeping in the house, I ran as far as I could in my pyjamas out of the building,” Duangjai, a resident of the popular northern tourist city Chiang Mai, said.

A video posted on social media right after the quake showed a residential building under construction in Bangkok collapsing into a cloud of dust, trapping 43 workers, police said.