Buddhist monks looked on in horror as an apartment building collapsed during an earthquake in Myanmar today.

Footage shows the apartment block in Mandalay home to dozens of families crashing to the ground following devastating tremors that struck the region.

In the same part of the country, the Great Wall Hotel was also reduced to rubble as the powerful tremor shook Aungpan Township and neighbouring Thailand.

A colonial-era bridge in Sagaing had also collapsed into the Irawaddy River.

At the Mandalay International Airport building, passengers fled through the building and crowded on the tarmac.

The US Geological Survey said the tremor struck at a depth of 10 kilometres (six miles), and was centred in Myanmar, around 50 kilometres (30 miles) east of Monywa City.

Across Bangkok in neighbouring Thailand, terrified residents and workers ran into the streets after the quake caused buildings to sway at around 2:20 pm local time.

An apartment block being built collapse, leaving dozens trapped inside the debris. Many buildings were evacuated as they swayed in the rare quake.

Officials closed roads and evacuated buildings as they assessed the damage and prepared for aftershocks.