Devastating Bangkok blast caught on camera: At least 27 dead and dozens injured as motorbike bomber targets tourists at shrine
At least 27 are dead and dozens more have been injured after a bomb on a motorbike exploded just outside a Hindu shrine in Bangkok today.
The explosion took place in the popular Ratchaprasong district in the heart of the Thai capital at around 7pm, in an area packed with tourists.
Four foreigners are believed to be among the dead after an attack the Thai government says was designed to damage the country's vital tourist industry.
'It was a TNT bomb... the people who did it targeted foreigners and to damage tourism and the economy,' a government spokesman said.
Many victims were probably visiting the Erawan Shrine or several shopping centres in the area when the attack took place. Security video showed a powerful flash as the bomb exploded.
The death toll so far has been confirmed as being at least 16 but there are local reports this afternoon that as many as 27 have been killed and 80 are injured.
Bomb disposal squads have reportedly found and defused a further two explosive devices that were discovered near the scene, according to the Bangkok Post.
Victims were 'blown to pieces' after the explosion, according to witnesses, which came from a pipe bomb said to contain 3kg of TNT. Police Chief Somyot Poompummuang said the explosives were stuffed inside a tube and then wrapped with a white cloth before being detonated.
He added: 'Those who have planted this bomb are cruel. They aim to kill because everyone knows that at 7pm the shrine is crowded with Thais and foreigners. Planting a bomb there means they want to see a lot of dead people.'
A witness at the scene said she saw pieces of human flesh near the blast site, and a soldier later told onlookers to move back, saying they were checking for a second bomb.
'We are now looking for another two to three bombs, as we have found one suspicious object,' national police chief Prawut Thawornsiri told Reuters.
'There could be another explosion, so we have blocked off the crime scene and are asking bystanders to move back.'
Authorities have since stepped up security checks at some major city intersections and in tourist areas.
The Erawan shrine, on a busy corner near top hotels, shopping centres and offices, is a major tourist attraction, especially for visitors from East Asia. Many ordinary Thais also worship there.
Most of the injured were tourists from China and Taiwan, local media said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.