Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth
Chan-ocha has said the bombing of a shrine in the capital, Bangkok, on
Monday was the "worst ever attack" on the country.
The attack killed at least 21 people, including foreigners, and scores were injured.
Mr
Prayuth said the perpetrators had not been identified, but that police
were investigating one suspect seen on security footage at the shrine.
The bomb targeted the Erawan Hindu shrine, a major tourist attraction.
It
was detonated at about 19:00 local time (12:00 GMT) on Monday when the
shrine, and the busy Ratchaprasong junction where it is located, were
crowded. Live coverage of Bangkok aftermath
Media captionMobile phone footage has shown the moment a bomb exploded in Bangkok
"This is the worst incident that has ever happened in Thailand," Mr Prayuth said.
"There
have been minor bombs or just noise, but this time they aim for
innocent lives. They want to destroy our economy, our tourism."
He said there was "a suspect who appeared on CCTV but it's not clear" and the man was being investigated.
The
BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok said the shrine is surrounded by
security cameras and members of the public are handing in their own
coverage to the authorities.
He says the bomb was clearly placed
to cause maximum casualties, and that Thailand is experiencing a
profound sense of shock that this could happen in the heart of their
capital.
Jonathan Head BBC News, Bangkok: "Who is behind this attack?"
Bangkok is now sitting back and wondering who could possibly have carried out this act and what their motives could have been.
There
is no shortage of potential suspects - people might wonder if it was
the Muslim insurgency fighting for an independent state in the deep
south. Lots of bombs go off there but, the insurgents have never
perpetrated an attack outside their own area, so this would be an entire
change in tactics.
People also look at the recent political violence and wonder if factions who lost out might have been involved.
It will be some time before the government gives some idea of what we should be looking for. National
police chief Somyot Poompummuang earlier described the device as a
"pipe bomb" and said it had been placed inside the shrine. Reports said
3kg of TNT had been used in the bomb.
"Whoever planted this bomb
is cruel and aimed to kill. Planting a bomb there means they want to see
a lot of people dead," he said.
Marko Cunningham, a New Zealand paramedic working with a Bangkok ambulance service, said the scene was "like a meat market".
"There were bodies everywhere. Some were shredded. It was horrific," he told the Reuters news agency.
Media captionWho could be behind the deadly attack on the Thai capital? Bridget Kendal reports
The shrine is dedicated to the Hindu god Brahma, but is also visited by thousands of Buddhists each day.
It
sits between a five-star hotel and a popular shopping centre on the
Ratchaprasong intersection, which has been the centre of political
demonstrations in recent years.
Some reports said foreign tourists were among the casualties
The shrine is visited by thousands of Thais and foreigners every day
Motorcycles damaged in the blast were taken away for analysis
Bangkok has seen a decade of sometimes violent rivalry between political factions.
The
military took over the country in May last year, removing an elected
government following months of unrest. The capital has been relatively
calm since then.
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