Thai PM: Video shows ‘some suspects’ in blast that killed 20

At least 22 people were killed and scores wounded in the unprecedented attack on the city. Police said that three kilograms of a high-grade explosive were stuffed inside a pipe at the shrine and detonated with a remote-control device. There was lots of noise and helicopters flying over us.

Instead of crossing the busy intersection, the group chose to walk on an overhead bridge that linked their accommodation – the Erawan Hotel – for the few days of stopover on their way home from a holiday in Hua Hin.

“As we made our way across the overhead walkway from the shopping centre to the hotel, there was a very loud explosion and the glass lining the closed-in walkway shook and nearly buckled from the shockwave of the blast”, Parkhouse writes.

Security footage showed a powerful flash as the bomb exploded at around 7pm local time at the Erawan Shrine.

The first task for police is to look for evidence at the crime scene and in surrounding areas, which may give them a clue as to the “footprint” of the bomb, and this may help them identify the elements responsible for this barbarity.

I was nearby when I heard the blast – I thought it was thunder.

The Ratchaprasong intersection, where the shrine stands, was the site of massive political protests in the past and was a target for bombers.

However, in a statement, Thailand’s ministry of foreign affairs said: “For the time being, it is too early to determine the possible motives or who the perpetrators may be”.

“Just as the night fell there was a spectacular electrical storm and then word got around that there had been an explosion”.

“Thailand is vulnerable right now as economic growth and corporate earnings are weak, while tourism is not doing great”, Andrew Stotz, CEO of Bangkok-based Stotz Investment Research, told Bloomberg News.

“It would be a tragedy if people turned their back on Thailand because it has so much to offer”.

Thai authorities later said they were hunting a “suspect” who had been caught on security cameras near the scene of the blast. “All I can say now is there has been an explosion in central Bangkok involving a motorcycle bomb”, deputy national police chief Aek Angsananond told Reuters.

No Australians have so far been either confirmed dead or injured. The dead included Chinese and a Filipino, Somyot said. “We are not sure if it is politically motivated, but they aim to harm our economy and we will hunt them down”.

Thailand is predominantly Buddhist, but the three southern provinces where the insurgency has flared are Muslim majority.

Stirring the pot has been former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup and fled the country to avoid a corruption conviction. However, the bombings were never solved. Tensions have risen in recent months, with the junta making clear that 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.

If you have family or loved ones in Bangkok and are concerned about their safety, call the DFAT hotline within Australia on 1300 555 135 or outside of Australia on (61) 2 6261 3305.