NAYPYIDAW: Rows of wounded lay outside the emergency department of the 1,000-bed hospital in Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw on Friday, some writhing in pain and others in shock after a powerful earthquake.

A stream of casualties were brought to the hospital -- some in cars, others in pickups, and others carried on stretchers, their bodies bloody and covered in dust.

“This is a mass casualty area”, a hospital official said, as they ushered journalists away from the treatment area.

The hospital itself was hit by the terrifying tremors, which buckled roads and ripped tarmac apart as the ground vibrated violently for around half a minute.

“Many injured people have been arriving, I haven’t seen anything like this before,“ a doctor at the hospital told AFP.