Deadly explosion rocks central Bangkok

A huge explosion in central Bangkok has killed at least 12 people and injured dozens others, news agency Reuters has quoted police and rescuers as saying.

Charred and shattered motorcycles littered the scene, along with broken glass.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the blast.

Surveillance camera footage captured the moment of the blast, with a fireball exploding in gridlocked traffic and then bystanders fleeing. He said officials initially believed that a second bomb had been found in a bag nearby, but that it had been determined to be harmless. The explosion also may threaten Thailand’s lucrative tourism industry, one of the few bright spots in an economy struggling with sputtering exports and waning consumer confidence.

The explosion appears to have gone off in front of the Erawan Shrine, a Hindu shrine that is popular with tourists and locals.

The latest reports said the bomb that exploded was planted under a bench.

The blast was caused by two explosives, with two more devices later defused, according to Bangkok Post.

Somyot Poompummuang, Thai national police chief, said: “The blast radius of the bomb is about 100 metres”. It is reported that body parts were scattered all over the area.

Meanwhile the Malaysian Embassy’s Security Liaison Officer in Bangkok, ACP Fauzi Khan Ismail told Astro AWANI the death toll from the incident is expected to rise as the area was a tourist hotspot. Reuters reports that Thailand “has been riven for a decade by an intense and sometimes violent struggle for power between political factions in Bangkok”.

The Times notes that the capital has been relatively peaceful since the military coup, although the ruling junta has suggested it may not hold elections until 2017.

The shrine intersection was the site of months of anti-government protests in 2010 by supporters of ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.