A bomb on a motorcycle exploded just outside a Hindu shrine in the center of the Thai capital yesterday, killing at least 27 people in an attack the government said was aimed at destroying the economy and the tourism industry.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast. Thai forces are fighting a low-level Muslim insurgency in the predominantly Buddhist country’s south, but those rebels have rarely launched attacks outside their ethnic Malay heartland.
The Erawan Shrine, on a busy corner near top hotels, shopping centers, offices and a hospital, is a major attraction for Thais and foreigners, especially for visitors from East Asia.
The government would set up a “war room” to coordinate the response to the blast, the Nation TV quoted Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha as saying.
Police said the bomb had killed 27 people and wounded 78, many of whom were taken to the nearby police hospital. Five Taiwanese were at the site when the bomb went off, leaving two injured.
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