(KRON) — An East Bay man experienced Friday’s powerful Myanmar earthquake while on a tour bus in neighboring Bangkok, Thailand. Cody Clements, who is part of a tour group with over 30 Americans, felt the bus rocking violently during the quake, which lasted about a minute.
“When the quake hit, the bus started shaking violently as if somebody was trying to tip it over,” said Clements, a first responder from Martinez.
The earthquake caused a high-rise building under construction in Bangkok to collapse, sending debris tumbling down. With more than 17 million people living in Bangkok, many residing in high-rise apartments, there are fears of people being trapped by the destruction.
Clements tried to keep his group calm during the tremor.
“Definitely nervous, definitely frightened. I am a first responder, so you know in times like that it’s good to keep a level head,” he said.
The group had to stand outside their hotel for about three hours due to fears of aftershocks, but they are now back inside. Clements is also dealing with traffic gridlock as public transportation has been shut down over fears of damage to the light rail.
Clements is expected to return to the Bay Area tomorrow, and he is grateful that everyone on the bus is okay.
All facts from this article were gathered by KRON4 journalists. The article was converted into this format with assistance from artificial intelligence. It has been edited and approved by KRON4 staff.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
