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Teacher thought she would die in Bangkok earthquake

Meleri Williams
BBC News
Isabelle Willis felt the tremor after the earthquake in Myanmar hit her apartment in Bangkok, Thailand

A Welsh teacher whose apartment walls started to crumble after an earthquake in south-east Asia said she believed she was about to die.

Isabelle Willis, 26, from New Quay, Ceredigion, has been teaching English in Bangkok, Thailand, for six months and felt the tremor after the earthquake in Myanmar on Friday.

More than 1,700 people are thought to have been killed and 3,400 injured, following the powerful 7.7 magnitude quake.

"It started banging. I could hear terrifying noises. The building cracking, things falling," said Ms Willis.

Ms Willis was at her apartment at the time and said she started to feel "dizzy" before things got "really bad".

"I wasn't sure what was going on, but I thought 'I need to get out of here'," she added.

Isabelle Willis Isabelle Willis sitting at a restaurant surrounded by trees. There is a light to the right of her. She is smiling at the camera. Isabelle Willis
Isabelle Willis has been teaching English in Bangkok for six months

She said she ran out of the room, and as she looked at her wall, she could see a crack, adding: "I could see people running, sprinting down the stairwell.

"I was desperate to get out.

"I was like, 'wow, this is how people die'. I thought 'this is it'."

Isabelle Willis A damaged wall with its broken pieces on the floor. There are cracks along the damage wall which reveals bricks which also have cracks in them. Isabelle Willis
Ms Willis said as she was leaving her building she saw a crack on her wall

The magnitude 7.7 quake was felt in Myanmar, Thailand and south-west China.

In Bangkok, at least 18 have lost their lives, according to authorities, and many are missing after a high-rise building collapsed.

Ms Willis, along with the other residents, managed to leave the building safely with just minor injuries.

She is staying at a hotel until her accommodation is made safe.

"It was just a surreal experience," she recalled.

"Some kids were crying... people were just holding each other, taking care of the elderly too, we had a massive shock.

"I'm devastated for the people in Myanmar too.

"It's just awful."