Myanmar Earthquake Live: Many Feared Dead In Varsity Fire, Say Reports

Rows of wounded lay outside the emergency department of the 1,000-bed hospital in Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw, some writhing in pain and others in shock after a powerful earthquake.

A stream of casualties were brought to the hospital -- some in cars, others in pickups, and others carried on stretchers, their bodies bloody and covered in dust.

"This is a mass casualty area", a hospital official said, as they ushered journalists away from the treatment area.

The hospital's emergency department was itself heavily damaged, a car crushed under the heavy concrete of its fallen entrance.

People were seen sitting stunned with their head in their hands, blood caking their faces and limbs.

Myanmar's ruling junta made a rare request for international humanitarian aid and declared a state of emergency across six regions after a powerful quake hit the country.

AFP reporters saw junta chief Min Aung Hlaing arrive at a hospital in Naypyidaw where wounded were being treated after the 7.7-magnitude quake hit central Myanmar.

The Stock Exchange of Thailand suspended all trading activities for the afternoon session after a strong earthquake struck neighbouring Myanmar, the tremors of which were felt in Thailand's capital, Bangkok.

"Following the earthquake incident, the Stock Exchange of Thailand hereby announces the immediate suspension of all trading activities," the bourse operator said on its website.

"The closure affects all markets, including SET, the Market for Alternative Investment (MAI), and the Thailand Futures Exchange (TFEX), for today's afternoon session."

In the Thai capital of Bangkok, a 30-storey building under construction collapsed, trapping 43 workers, police and medics said.

The massive building intended for government offices was reduced to a tangle of rubble and twisted metal in seconds, footage shared on social media showed.

Across the border in Myanmar, a team of AFP journalists were at the National Museum in Naypyidaw when the earthquake struck.

Pieces fell from the ceiling as the building began shaking. Uniformed staff ran outside, some trembling and tearful, others grabbing cellphones to try to contact loved ones. 

Roads nearby were buckled and broken by the tremors and the route to one of the city's biggest hospitals was jammed with traffic.

A powerful earthquake rattled Myanmar and neighbouring Thailand, trapping dozens of workers in a collapsed under-construction skyscraper in Bangkok where a state of emergency was declared.

The 7.7-magnitude tremor hit northwest of the city of Sagaing on Friday afternoon at a shallow depth, the United States Geological Survey said. A 6.4-magnitude aftershock hit the same area minutes later.