Earthquake in Thailand, Myanmar: After a powerful earthquake, trade has been paused on the Thai Stock Exchange. The information provided indicates that trading has been halted for Friday’s afternoon session.
On its website, the stock exchange operator stated, “The Stock Exchange of Thailand hereby announces the immediate suspension of all trading activities following the earthquake incident.”
“For today’s afternoon session, the closure impacts all markets, including SET, the Market for Alternative Investment (MAI), and the Thailand Futures Exchange (TFEX).”
According to authorities, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake that shook Thailand and neighboring Myanmar at noon on Friday caused a high-rise building that was under construction in Bangkok to collapse. The number of potential casualties is still unknown.
Onlookers yelled and fled as the multi-story building with a crane on top collapsed into a cloud of dust in a dramatic video that went viral on social media.
The number of workers on the building at the time of the fall was unknown at the time, police told The Associated Press, adding that they were responding to the incident near Bangkok’s well-known Chatuchak Market.
A powerful 6.4 magnitude aftershock followed the lunchtime earthquake, and residents of Bangkok who had been evacuated from their buildings were advised to remain outside in case there were any more.
Videos and images posted on Facebook social media show that the earthquake destroyed parts of the historic royal palace and structures in Mandalay, the nation’s second-largest city and the area around the epicenter.
The majority of the homes are low-rise buildings, and although the area is prone to earthquakes, it is typically lightly populated.
The earthquake in the capital, Naypyitaw, destroyed some homes and damaged religious shrines, hurling pieces of them to the ground.
Over 17 million people live in the greater Bangkok area, with many of them residing in high-rise apartments.
