Moment terrified swimmers trapped in rooftop pool as massive earthquake sends water cascading down to street
28 March 2025, 11:22
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: At least 95 killed and dozens injured after 7.1-magnitude earthquake hits China
Warning: video contains swear words
🚨🇹🇭: Unbelievable scene in Bangkok: Earthquake hits while folks swim in a skyscraper pool. Water sloshes like a tidal wave, yet they ride it out! #Bangkok #earthquake pic.twitter.com/FiTIIsXjRO
— WorldsQuant (@WorldsQuant) March 28, 2025
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.
The moment a skyscraper under construction collapsed in Bangkok, Thailand during the 7.7 magnitude earthquake. https://t.co/6Dx0Jd9RUp pic.twitter.com/yFw8lGFkmK
— Clash Report (@clashreport) March 28, 2025
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.
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.
#MYANMAR: Just saw a clip of people huddled on the ground near by the aircraft, trying to stay safe during a massive earthquake at Mandalay International Airport, right before boarding their flight. #Earthquake #Mandalay pic.twitter.com/dCIr3hwx68
— Cape Diamond (@cape_diamond) March 28, 2025
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.
At the time of the #Earthquake, some people were on the MRT and luckily the swaying moment had already stopped at the station. So, everyone ran out quickly while the station floor was swinging. #Thailand #Bangkok #Myanmar #แผ่นดินไหว pic.twitter.com/1XlClCWkfH
— कृतिका शर्मा (@Kriti_Sanatani) March 28, 2025
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."
Building in Thailand shakes as earthquake hits Myanmar
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.
Building in Thailand shakes as earthquake hits Myanmar
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.
