Bangkok Bomb: Deadly Blast Rocks Thailand Capital
- Explosion in one of Thai capital's busiest areas happened at around 7pm
- Streets were packed with locals and tourists out in city for the evening
- Blast came close to the Erawan Shrine and three major shopping centres
- 12 are dead and another 25 + injured
BBC 17 August 2015
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Carnage: Scorched motorbikes where at least 12 are dead and another 20 are injured after a huge explosion in Bangkok today
Probe: Police confirmed the explosion, near a shrine at a major Bangkok road, was from a bomb but no one has yet claimed responsibility for the terror attack.
A bomb has exploded close to a shrine in the centre of the Thai capital, Bangkok, police say.
Local reports suggest at least 12 people have died and dozens have been injured.
The BBC's Jonathan Head, who is at the scene, says there is a huge amount of chaos, with body parts scattered everywhere.
The attack took place close to the Erawan Shrine in the capital's central Chidlom district.
The explosion occurred at about 19:00 local time (12:00 GMT), with police saying it may have been a motorcycle bomb.
Our correspondent says this a very well known shrine in the centre of Bangkok, next to a five-star hotel.
He says people around the shrine were hit by the full force of the blast.
There are burnt motorbikes on the main road, with paramedics and police trying to take the injured away, he says.
The shrine is to the Hindu god Brahma but is also visited by thousands of Buddhists each day.
National police spokesman Lt Gen Prawut Thavornsiri told Agence France-Presse news agency: "I can confirm it was a bomb, we can't tell which kind yet, we are checking."
The explosion was on the Ratchaprasong intersection, which has been the centre of political demonstrations in recent years.
Our correspondent says bomb attacks in Bangkok are extremely rare.
Witnesses said victims were 'blown to pieces' after the explosion in the Chidlom district of the Thai capital.
'I can confirm it was a bomb, we can't tell which kind yet, we are checking,' national police spokesman Lietenant General Prawut Thavornsiri told AFP.
The Erawan Shrine is located on a main road through Bangkok's commercial hub and is surrounded by three major shopping malls.