A shallow 6.1-magnitude earthquake hit northwestern Laos near the Thai border early on Thursday, the United States Geological Survey reported, alarming locals who felt buildings shake as far away as Bangkok.

But tremors could be felt more than 700 kilometres away in the Thai capital, where Pope Francis is currently on a four-day visit.“The shaking…was the main shock from a quake in Laos at 6.50 am and was felt in northern and northeastern Thailand and Bangkok and suburbs,” said Sophon Chaila, an official at the Thai Meteorological Department.

The department said the quake affected nine provinces in Thailand and there were four lesser aftershocks. It also became a top trending topic on Twitter in Thailand.Residents in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi also felt buildings sway.