About 27 Killed And Many Injured As Motorbike Bomb Targets Tourists In Central Bangkok

At least 27 are dead and dozens more have been injured after a bomb on a motorbike exploded just outside a Hindu shrine in Bangkok today. The explosion took place in the popular Rachaprasong district in the heart of the Thai capital at around 7pm, in an area packed with tourists.

Four foreigners are believed to be among the dead after an attack the Thai government says was designed to damage the country's vital tourist industry. Most of the injured were tourists from China and Taiwan, local media said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Thai forces are fighting a low-level Muslim insurgency in the predominantly Buddhist country's south, although those rebels have rarely launched attacks outside their ethnic Malay heartland.

The Erawan shrine, on a busy corner near top hotels, shopping centres and offices, is a major tourist attraction, especially for visitors from East Asia. Many ordinary Thais also worship there. More photos…