A bomb explosion inside one of Bangkok’s most popular tourist attractions killed at least 19 people and injured 123 others – mostly foreign tourists – on Monday.
Of the 19 dead victims, 12 died at the scene. The figures were based on information released by the Royal Thai Police Office as of 11.20pm on Monday.
An improvised explosive device placed inside the Erawan shrine complex at the Ratchaprasong intersection detonated at 6.55pm. The scale of the explosion set motorbikes and taxis ablaze inside the intersection and bowed the iron fence of the Hindu shrine outward.
Casualties were immediate, with body parts scattered across the area, leaving broken glass and the smouldering wreckage of burned-out motorcycles behind.
Military and police, including national police chief Somyot Pumpanmuang, rushed to the scene. Military explosive ordnance-disposal technicians checked two suspicious objects there and confirmed they were not bombs.