Explosion rocks Bangkok Ratchaprasong intersection
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more to come
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Update: At least 5 killed, 20 injured after bomb goes off at #Bangkok's Ratchaprasong http://bit.ly/1hHDPvO
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Update: At least 12 killed in bomb blast at shrine near #Bangkok's Ratchaprasong http://bit.ly/1hHDPvO
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the police is preparing to diffuse the remaining bombs
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First explosive device found below skytrain, 2nd one near Erawan Shrine. Bomb squad deactivating 3rd one
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Explosion near shrine in busy shopping area of Bangkok, at least 15 killed: Reports
BANGKOK - A powerful bomb exploded during rush hour right outside the famed Erawan Shrine next to the Grand Hyatt hotel in downtown Bangkok on Monday, killing at least 15 people in the most severe single incident of this kind to hit Bangkok in recent memory.
Thai TV reports that at least 15 people have been killed and 80 others injured.
The Straits Times's Indochina Bureau Chief Nirmal Ghosh, who is at the site at the Ratchaprasong intersection, saw at least six motorbikes lying around a crater, under huge floodlights in the middle of the intersection.
A body severed in half was also seen lying on the sidewalk 30m from the explosion site. Body parts were scattered across the street, and about 40 vehicles were damaged.
Bodies lying under sheets were also seen in Erawan Shrine.
Eyewitnesses say that the bomb that went off was on a motorcycle, 5m to 20m in front of the shrine. There is shattered glass for 50m around the blast site.
The police are putting a cordon of 50m, pushing onlookers far behind the barriers, Nirmal reported. The area is ringed by the police and ambulances with flashing lights.
There are unconfirmed reports of a second bomb near the explosion site that is reportedly being deactivated by a bomb squad. The police say there is or may be another bomb on one of the motorcycles.
The police and a rescue worker said that at least 12 people were killed. The media also said 20 people were wounded.
The bomb went off outside the Erawan Shrine in the downtown Chidlom district of the Thai capital.
"Our initial findings are it is a bomb inside the shrine," Thai police chief Chakthip Chijinda told Channel 9 television. "We are checking to see if there is a second bomb."
"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. He said there had been fatalities, but could not confirm details.
"I can confirm it was a bomb, we can't tell which kind yet, we are checking," national police spokesman Lieutenant-General Prawut Thavornsiri told AFP.
A Thai minister has said that the bomber targeted "foreigners" to damage tourism.
The police and ambulances rushed to the scene after the bomb went off at around 7pm local time.
A BBC journalist at the scene said there was chaos in the area.
He added that he has seen massive damage as well as a crater - indicating a bomb, which is rare for the city.
People around the shrine were hit by the full force of the blast, he said.
Nobody has come forward to claim responsibility y et.
Thailand is fighting a Muslim insurgency in the country's south, but these rebels have rarely attacked outside their ethnic Malay heartland.
The Erawan is an enormously popular shrine to the Hindu god Brahma, but is visited by thousands of Buddhist devotees every day.
It is located on a main road through Bangkok's commercial hub and is surrounded by three major shopping malls. It is also next to the five-star hotel Grand Hyatt.
The Ratchaprasong intersection has been the centre of political demonstrations in recent years.
-- ST
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Update: At least 27 killed in #Bangkok blast, including 4 foreigners http://bit.ly/1hHGdTi
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Many Singaporeans like to go there pray
Pray for Singaporeans and Thai and my city of angels Krung Thep Maha Nakhon
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#Bangkok blast: "We understand that some Singaporeans have suffered injuries," says S'pore embassy in Bangkok. http://str.sg/ZhsR
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President Tony Tan condemns 'terrible act of terror' http://str.sg/Zh8G
Singaporean woman in her 30s "likely died on the spot", says hospital staff http://str.sg/Zh7y
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BANGKOK - A 34-year-old Singaporean woman was killed in the bomb blast that rocked the heart of the Thai capital on Monday night, while her husband was injured.
Madam Melisa Liu Rui Chun, 34, died on the spot, according to Thai Police Major-General Dr Pornchai Suteerakune, commander of the Institute of Forensic Medicine.
Her husband Ng Su Teck, 35, who was injured by glass shrapnel, told The Straits Times that he plans to return to Singapore on Wednesday.
Mr Ng, who works in sales, did not want to talk much when The Straits Times visited him at Ramathibodi Hospital.
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Bangkok blast: Singaporean woman among those killed, MFA confirms
BANGKOK: A Singaporean woman was among those killed in the bomb blast that ripped through a busy intersection in central Bangkok on Monday evening (Aug 17), Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) confirmed on Tuesday.
“We regret to confirm that a Singaporean woman was among those killed by yesterday’s deadly bomb blast in Bangkok. Our embassy in Bangkok is currently providing consular assistance to the family of the deceased," the ministry said in a statement.
"We extend our deepest condolences to the bereaved family for their loss. We are deeply saddened by this development, and reiterate our strong condemnation of this indiscriminate act of violence."
A notice posted at the Police General Hospital in Bangkok revealed that the Singaporean woman killed in the incident is Ms Melisa Liu and that the Singaporeans injured include Ms Rosy Feng Wei, Ms Ong Chiew Huay, Ms Ong Chiew Kee and Mr Donovan Chan. It also said those injured were being treated at two hospitals - the Chulalongkorn Hospital and the Hua Chiew Hospital.
At least 22 people were killed and scores wounded in the unprecedented attack on the city. Besides the Singaporean woman – who was unidentified – two Chinese nationals, two Hong Kongers, two Malaysians and five Thais were killed in the blast, according to Bangkok police spokesman Prawut Thavornsiri. The rest have yet to be identified.
Several Singaporeans were wounded in the attack. On Tuesday morning, Singapore's ambassador to Thailand Chua Siew San visited the injured Singaporeans who are receiving medical attention at various local hospitals. Those with light injuries have been discharged, MFA said.
The embassy will continue to provide consular support for the injured Singaporeans and their next-of-kin, the ministry said, adding that it has contacted the majority of the registered Singaporeans in Bangkok.
MFA has issued a travel notice urging Singaporeans in Bangkok to avoid the vicinity of the explosion, and to monitor local news and heed the instructions of the Thai authorities. It urged Singaporeans in Bangkok to register with the ministry at http://eregister.mfa.gov.sg.
Singaporeans in need of urgent consular assistance may contact the Singapore embassy in Bangkok at +66 (2) 286 2111 or +66 (81) 844 3580, or [email protected], or the 24-hour MFA Duty Office at +65 6379 8800 / 8855 or [email protected].
- CNA/cy
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#BangkokBlast : #Erawan Shrine reopens as police hunt suspect http://bit.ly/1Njdm4C
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malaysian got one whole family killed left the grandfather
wtf
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Two Singaporeans injured in Bangkok blast admitted to SGH
SINGAPORE: Two Singaporeans injured in a bomb blast in Thailand returned home on Thursday (Aug 20) to seek medical care.
Mdm Michelle Heng, 58, and her son, Donovan Chan, 21, arrived at Singapore General Hospital (SGH) at 2.40pm on Thursday for treatment. The hospital declined to comment on the severity of their wounds, but they are said to be in stable condition.
A relative, who was on the same trip with Mr Chan and Mdm Heng, told TODAY that the duo could be hospitalised for up to three weeks, “depending on the doctor’s prognosis”.
The two were assisted into the Resuscitation and Critical Care area by paramedics and medical officers. Madam Heng, who was on a ventilator, was wheeled in on a stretcher, with her face entirely covered by a towel. According to previous reports, Mdm Heng had undergone surgery to remove shrapnel.
Mr Chan, who suffered superficial burns and shrapnel wounds and had the right side of his face bandaged, was assisted in a wheelchair.
One Singaporean was among at least 20 people killed in the attack at the popular Erawan Shrine in Bangkok on Monday. At least seven other Singaporeans were injured in the explosion.
Meanwhile, the Republic’s Ambassador to Thailand said the blast underlined the importance for Singaporeans to register with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) when travelling abroad. “I’ve always told people, and my friends especially, that when you travel, register with MFA. Because if there is an emergency, a crisis situation, we know you’re here and we can reach out to you. And this was exactly what we did after the explosion (on Monday),” Mrs Chua Siew San told TODAY in an interview at the Singapore Embassy in Bangkok on Thursday.
Following the bombing, staff at the MFA headquarters in Singapore and the embassy worked through the night to contact the several hundred Singaporeans who had e-registered with the ministry to check whether they were safe or needed help.
“If you don’t register, we don’t know you’re here. We can’t help you when you may be in great need of help. And it may take a while for you to reach us and say, ‘I need help’,” said Mrs Chua, 63, who has been Singapore’s envoy to Thailand for about three-and-a-half years.
“Timing is of the essence in this sort of situation. So it serves Singaporeans well to register,” she said, adding that those who e-register will get an email with telephone numbers to call in an emergency. “In the panic, it’s always good to have a number to call.”
She noted that the several hundred who had e-registered were probably only a fraction of Singaporeans who were in Thailand, or even Bangkok, at the time. “After the explosion, lots more people came forward to register,” said Mrs Chua, adding that the number of registrations more than doubled within 24 hours.
Over the past few days, Mrs Chua and her colleagues have been visiting injured Singaporeans at hospitals in Bangkok. The MFA also sent an officer to accompany Ms Liu’s family from Singapore to Bangkok.
- CNA/dl