BANGKOK—A series of earthquakes rocked central Myanmar on Friday, killing scores of people, causing widespread destruction in some of the war-torn country’s biggest cities and shaking skyscrapers hundreds of miles away in neighboring Thailand.

More than 150 people have died after a powerful earthquake hit Myanmar and rattled Thailand, but the extent of the casualties is still emerging as crews try to find people who are missing. Follow for live news updates.

A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar on Friday, causing extensive damage across a wide swath of one of the world’s poorest countries and prompting officials to warn that the initial death toll is

The earthquake shook buildings in neighboring Thailand and China, and rattled bridges and homes as far away as Vietnam. At least 23 people have died, and the death toll is expected to rise, especially in Myanmar, where the injured are arriving at hospitals in the country’s second-largest city, Mandalay.

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit the heart of war-ravaged Myanmar of Friday, killing scores of people and prompting the country’s military junta to make a rare plea for international assistance.

Myanmar's junta chief announced that the earthquake's death toll has risen to 144, with over 700 people injured, according to AFP.

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.

People waited anxiously outside buildings after a high-rise building under construction in Bangkok collapsed when a 7.7 magnitude earthquake rocked Thailand and neighboring Myanmar midday on Friday, police said,