A strong 7.7 magnitude earthquake has rocked the Thai capital, causing buildings to sway.
Germany’s GFZ centre for geosciences said the temblor at noon on Friday was a shallow 10km, with an epicentre in neighbouring Myanmar.
There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
The greater Bangkok area is home to more than 17 million people, many of whom live in high-rise apartments.
Startled residents poured out of high-rise apartment buildings and hotels in densely populated central Bangkok.
They remained in the streets, seeking shade from the midday sun in the minutes after the quake.
The quake was forceful enough to send water sloshing out of pools, some high up in high-rises, as the tremor shook.
Many buildings were evacuated as they swayed in the rare quake.
The epicentre of the earthquake was in central Myanmar, about 50km east of the city of Monywa.
There were no immediate reports of the effect of the earthquake in Myanmar, which is in the middle of a civil war.