This is the terrifying moment onlookers fled during an earthquake, stopping only to record the collapse of a Chinese high-rise building.

Footage shows panicked locals running as tremors from a magnitude 7.7 earthquake in Myanmar were felt in the Thai capital Bangkok on Mach 28.

The 33-storey tall office and apartment block could be heard rumbling as the earth moved. Locals then began recording the 449ft tall structure, yards from the busling Chatuchak Weekend Market.

Footage captured the skyscraper crashing to the ground, killing at least 22 workers, with many of those inside from Myanmar and Cambodia.

Shockingly, an anti-corruption watchdog had earlier flagged alleged irregularities in the construction of the building, which was a joint venture between the local firm Italian Thai Development PCL and the Communist government of China.

Four Chinese nationals were even arrested for trying to remove paperwork from the wreckage on March 29, just a day after the deadly quake. The site had been restricted from public access after it was declared a disaster zone by authorities.

David Zhang, a commentator on the abuses of the Communist rogue state, described the collapsed office tower as a 'tofu dreg', as it was the only building to completely crumble in Thailand.

He said: 'It just crumbles, there's really no structure to speak of. Not even any physical resistance seems to have been added to the material there.'

The China expert explained that the Communist government's local subsidiary working on the building was China Railway No.10 Engineering Group Co., Ltd., which is owned by the China Railway Group Limited, which is itself a subsidiary of the state-owned China Railway Engineering Corporation.

Authorities said Thailand's Ministry of Industry has taken construction material samples from the site for investigation.

The 33-storey structure had cost 2.13 billion Baht (around 50 million GBP) and began construction in 2020.

Police Major General Noppasin Poonsawat, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said: 'During initial questioning, the four individuals claimed they entered the area to retrieve documents for an insurance claim.

'They said the documents were stored in a container at the site, which was being used as a temporary office by the company. However, they did not have permission to access the area.

'The suspects were identified as subcontractors working under the Italian-Thai Development Group.

'Investigators are now examining the seized documents to determine if they are linked to the building's collapse. All relevant parties will be summoned for further questioning, and coordination with the authorities is ongoing.'

Police said they will proceed with legal action against the four Chinese nationals for allegedly violating the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act. A fifth Chinese man who claims to be their employer was being investigated, authorities added.

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.

Residents ran from their homes when they felt the tremors shortly after 1:20 pm local time. More than 2,000 people in the country have been killed and some 4,000 injured, with rescue efforts ongoing.

The quake destroyed buildings, bridges, and dams, leaving many areas in ruins. Communication remains difficult as mobile networks are down, and access to electricity and the internet is limited.