Two large quakes with a magnitude of 7.0 struck near north Thailand's border with Myanmar and Laos, the US Geological Survey reported.

Witnesses said the tremors were felt in Bangkok, Myanmar and as far away as the Vietnam capital of Hanoi where people were evacuated from tall buildings.

The quakes struck seconds apart at 1355 GMT and were centered 69 miles (111 km) north of the Thai town of Chiang Rai.

The first one was very shallow, at a depth of 6.2 miles (10 km), while the second one was deeper at 142.5 miles (230 km).

It is a sparsely populated, hilly area best known as the Golden Triangle, which is a traditional source of illicit opium.

There was no immediate word on any casualties or damage.-Reuters