A strong 7.7 magnitude earthquake has rocked the Thai capital, causing buildings to sway. The US Geological Survey and Germany's GFZ centre for geosciences said the incident was at a shallow 6.2 miles, with an epicentre in neighbouring Myanmar , according to preliminary reports. The greater Bangkok area is home to more than 17 million people, many of whom live in high-rise apartments. Alarms went off in buildings as the earthquake hit around 1.30pm local time, and startled residents were evacuated down staircases of high-rise buildings and hotels in densely populated central Bangkok . Read more here: Sheep, Christmas trees, and lots of sand - how the Home of Golf at St Andrews is protecting its famous courses They remained in the streets, seeking shade from the midday sun in the minutes after the quake. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The quake was forceful enough to send water sloshing out of pools, some high up in high-rises, as the tremor shook. The epicentre of the earthquake was in central Myanmar , 30 miles east of the city of Monywa. There were no immediate reports of the effect of the earthquake in Myanmar , which is in the middle of a civil war.