Deadly blast rocks Thailand capital - 22 dead so far

A bomb has exploded close to a shrine in the centre of the Thai capital, Bangkok, police say. Local reports suggest at least 19 people have died and at least 120 more have been injured. Twelve victims died at the scene, and six others died later at the Erawan Medical Emergency Center, officials said.

The BBC's Jonathan Head, who was at the scene, says there is a huge amount of chaos, with body parts scattered everywhere. The attack took place close to the Erawan Shrine in the capital's central Chidlom district. The Erawan Shrine, which was crowded at the time, is a major tourist attraction and foreigners are among the casualties. No-one has yet said they carried out the attack. According to CNN, national police Chief Somyot Pumpanmuang said on state TV that Chinese tourists who had traveled to Thailand from the Philippines had been killed. The Chinese Embassy in Bangkok later confirmed the report, telling China's state-run Xinhua that three nationals had died in the blast, while another 15 Chinese tourists were injured, some seriously. Hong Kong's Immigration Department reported that three residents were among the injured.

Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon said the bombers had "targeted foreigners... to damage tourism and the economy". "We will hunt them down," he said.

The explosion occurred at about 19:00 local time (12:00 GMT), with police saying it may have been caused by a motorcycle bomb.

The Bangkok Post quotes police as saying at least one more bomb has been made safe by officers in the Ratchaprasong area.

The grim scene has been described by several journalists and witnesses including an Associated Press reporter who said he saw one body and body parts, and two people taken into ambulances.

The Erawan is an enormously popular shrine to the Hindu god Brahma but is visited by thousands of Buddhist devotees every day. It is located on a main road through Bangkok's commercial hub and is surrounded by three major shopping malls.

The British Foreign Office has tweeted a link to their guidance for travel to Thailand. Readers are told that the British Embassy is monitoring the situation. "You should monitor news reports and take extra care."

British nationals make over 900,000 visits to Thailand every year. Most visits are trouble-free, but there have been attacks (sometimes violent), particularly on the islands of Samui archipelago.

sourced:traveldailynews.asia