It sent buildings in many areas toppling to the ground, buckled roads, caused bridges to collapse and burst a dam.

In a censored nation that runs on rumor and omens, people in Myanmar wonder whether the latest disaster might be a portent of regime change.

A 7.7 magnitude earthquake rattled much of Southeast Asia on Friday, flattening skyscrapers and leaving more than 1,000 people dead from Myanmar to Thailand.

A powerful earthquake killed more than 140 people in Myanmar on Friday, authorities said, toppling buildings and wrecking infrastructure across a wide area, including a skyscraper under construction in neighbouring Thailand.

Myanmar is one of the most prone areas to earthquakes in the world as it features among the high-risk regions on the Global Seismic Risk Map. Notably, Sagaing Fault is an important earthquake-prone fault in Myanmar.

A powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.7 centred in the Sagaing region near the Myanmar city of Mandalay caused extensive damage in that country and also shook neighbouring Thailand on Friday.

Thai authorities see "something suspicious" in Bangkok building collapse as earthquake devastation in Myanmar comes slowly into focus.