Breaking News: Huge explosion in central Bangkok

[Bry Nylon]

Casualties reported

 

[leigull]

From BBC:

There has been a large explosion close to a shrine in the centre of the Thai capital, Bangkok.

The BBC's Jonathan Head, who is at the scene, says there appear to be both dead and injured, amid a huge amount of chaos.

He says there is a massive amount of damage and a crater that indicates this could be a bomb.

Our correspondent says that if it is a bomb, this would be a rare attack for the capital.

 

[TomandJerry]

A bomb exploded outside a religious shrine in central Bangkok late on Monday, killing at least two people and wounding scores more, according to an AFP reporter at the scene.

Body parts were scattered across the street after the bomb went off outside the Erawan Shrine in the downtown Chidlom district of the Thai capital.

"I can confirm it was a bomb, we can't tell which kind yet, we are checking," national police spokesman Lietenant General Prawut Thavornsiri told AFP.

According to Reuters, local media are reporting that five people have been killed and 20 wounded.

 

[HastingsSeagull]

Was in that area only a few days ago

 

[TomandJerry]

Police reporting that there could be a second (currently unexploded) bomb hidden inside the shrine

 

[Ernest]

Was in that area only a few days ago

Been there many times, big tourist area there plus the Skytrain etc

 

[Foolg]

I have literally JUST walked in my front door having flown back from Bangkok. Having moved my flight forward a couple of days, i'm now bloody glad I did so.

Hopefully a one off, as the rest of my group are all still there.

 

[TomandJerry]

Jonathan Head, BBC's South Asia correspondent, has said on BBC News that usually attacks are "almost exclusively in the south and the targets are never tourist areas.

"Nothing [has happened] on this scale, it's just awful. The injuries were catastropic - that is a very specific target in a very strategic area. The shrine is a very sacred one."


"As far as I know there are more than 10 people dead, many injured. Our initial findings are it is a bomb inside the shrine," Chakthip Chijinda told Channel 9 television, AFP reports.

 

[Bombadier Botty]

Was in that area only a few days ago

Me too, we only flew back from Bangkok two days ago.

 

[TomandJerry]

Bangkok has been relatively peaceful since a military coup ousted a civilian government in May last year after several months of sometime violent political protests against the previous government.

However, there has been some tension in recent months as the ruling junta has made clear it may not hold elections until 2017 and wants a constitution that will allow some type of emergency rule to take the place of an elected government.

Car bombs are almost unknown in Bangkok, but have been used in southern Thailand, where a Muslim separatist insurgency has been flaring for several years.

 

[Foolg]

Christ, just googled the Erawan shrine, it's next door to the Grand Central mall. Was in that mall exactly 24 hours ago buying souvenirs before my flight, having got on the sky train (where the rumoured 3rd bomb is/was).

Hopefully no more blasts, but very scary stuff.

 

[Nibble]

Very sad. Unfortunately, I fear there are going to be a lot of these incidents this year and ongoing, tourists being targeted.

 

[TomandJerry]

"There are reports that among the casualties could be foreign tourists. Some media reports suggest the death toll has reached 15 but this is unconfirmed.

Although we are not yet aware of the details of the attack, no group or individual has claimed it."

 

[stephen.race.79]

Hearing from friends in Bangkok 27 dead, more than 80 injured,

 

[TomandJerry]

 

[Ernest]

Just about one of the busiest places in Bangkok for tourists and upper class Thais especially at 7pm, looks like the Muslims have moved up from the South to continue their campaign