A strong 7.7 magnitude earthquake rocked the Thai capital Friday, causing buildings to sway. The U.S. Geological Survey and Germany’s GFZ center for geosciences said the midday temblor was a shallow 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), with an epicenter in neighboring Myanmar, according to preliminary reports reports. Alarms went off in buildings as the earthquake hit around 1:30 p.m., and startled residents were evacuated down staircases of high-rise condominiums and hotels in densely populated central Bangkok.