In Thailand's capital city, Bangkok, at least 10 persons lost their lives, with several others injured and missing, reports said.
The quake, which struck in early afternoon, also caused some damage in China. The tremors were reportedly felt in the southwest Yunnan province, with Beijing's earthquake agency reporting the jolt as a 7.9 magnitude one.
People were seen rushing out of buildings, seeking shelter any place they could find as extremely heavy tremors rocked the country.
Pools in skyscrapers turn into waterfalls
Meanwhile, the quake tremors also caused swimming pools of skyscrapers and other high-rise buildings to turn into waterfalls, with all the water getting emptied onto roads and sweeping people off.
A purported video, likely from China, showed the moments before and after a rooftop pool in the earthquake zone emptied onto the streets and swept the people present there off their feet.