A bomb has exploded close to a
shrine in the centre of Thailand's capital, Bangkok, killing at least 19
people and injuring more than 120.
The Erawan Shrine, which was
crowded at the time, is a major tourist attraction and foreigners,
including Chinese, are among the casualties.
No-one has yet said they carried out the attack.
Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon said the bombers had "targeted foreigners... to damage tourism and the economy".
"We will hunt them down," he said. Bangkok blast: The events of the day
The
Nation TV channel quoted Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha as saying the
government would set up a "war room" to co-ordinate its response.
National police chief Somyot Poompummuang said that 10 Thais had been confirmed dead, along with one Chinese and one Filipino.
Media captionDashcam footage captures the moment the bomb exploded close to Bangkok's Erawan Shrine
He
said: "Whoever planted this bomb is cruel and aimed to kill. Planting a
bomb there means they want to see a lot of people dead."
Thai police said 123 people had been injured. The government in Hong Kong said three of its residents were among those wounded.
The explosion occurred at about 19:00 local time (12:00 GMT). The Bangkok Post quoted police as saying
that 3kg of TNT had been stuffed in a pipe inside the shrine and that
an electronic circuit suspected to have been used in the attack was
found 30 metres from the scene.
Police checked the area for other devices but no further bombs have been found, the paper said.
'Really graphic'
The
BBC's Jonathan Head, who was one of the first journalists at the scene,
said there was a huge amount of chaos, with body parts scattered
everywhere.
He says this is a very well-known shrine, next to a
five-star hotel, and that people around it were hit by the full force of
the blast. Analysis: Jonathan Marcus, BBC defence and diplomatic correspondent
There
is no previous history of attacks in the Thai capital on this scale or
with such murderous intent. One possibility is that they might be the
work of Malay-Muslim insurgents in the south who have been fighting Thai
rule for more than a decade. However, they have never targeted Bangkok
before and casualties from their attacks have been falling.
National
political turmoil has prompted some low-level bomb attacks by rival
factions in the past - but again, nothing on this scale. There also seem
to be few, if any, links between Thai militants and groups like the
so-called Islamic State.
The shrine is popular with Chinese
tourists and this raises at least the possibility of a connection to the
Uighurs - a Turkic-speaking Muslim minority in the far west of China.
They complain of cultural and religious persecution at the hands of the
Beijing authorities.
Last month more than 100 Uighurs were
deported from Thailand to China - a move that prompted widespread
condemnation. But while there are violent elements in the Uighur
movement, an attack on this scale outside China would be unusual to say
the least. One
bystander, Alessandro Ursic, told the BBC: "When I arrived they had
already cleared the bodies from the ground outside the Erawan shrine but
there were and there are still pieces of human flesh strewn around the
intersection; it's really graphic."
Media captionBarry Newhouse: "There were three motorcycles... there was a real acrid smell in the air"
The
BBC's James Sales said: "I went into where the shrine is, where there
were lots of bodies. I saw at least nine people unfortunately who looked
like they had died and lots of Chinese tourists as well.
"I tried to administer CPR to one particular guy who was in his 40s... he was Chinese... but I doubt he made it." Bangkok explosion
Eyewitness accounts of the blast - "There was total chaos" CCTV footage - captures the moment of the explosion The Erawan Shrine - popular with locals and tourists Mobile phone footage captures the blast 'I gave one man CPR' says BBC man The
shrine is dedicated to the Hindu god Brahma, but is also visited by
thousands of Buddhists each day. There are also three major shopping
centres nearby.
The explosion was on the Ratchaprasong intersection, which has been the centre of political demonstrations in recent years.
Police say 3kg of TNT was used in the blast
Dozens were injured in the explosion
Police chief Somyot Poompummuang said the bombers wanted "to see a lot of people dead"
Some reports say foreign tourists are among the casualties
Relatives arrived at the scene to try to find missing loved ones
Our correspondent, Jonathan Head, says bomb attacks in Bangkok are extremely rare.
There
has been a Muslim insurgency, but this has been largely confined to the
south of the country and attacks rarely take place elsewhere.
But Bangkok has seen a decade of sometimes violent rivalry between political factions.
The
military took over ruling the country in May last year, removing an
elected government following months of unrest. The capital has been
relatively calm since then.
Analysts say one flashpoint could be
within the military government itself. The annual promotion list is due
out next month and it is thought to be a source of tension among the
various cliques.
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