The latest on Monday night’s bombing at a shrine next to a busy central Bangkok intersection.
A day after Bangkok’s deadly bomb attack there has been a second explosion in the capital, this time at a ferry pier, but this time no one was hurt, police say.
Security camera footage shows a sudden blast of water dousing people on a walkway at the pier, as bystanders ran for safety.
Deputy government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd released the following list of the nationalities of the 20 people killed by Monday night’s blast:
Thai: 5
Malaysian: 2
Chinese: 2
Hong Kong: 2
Singaporean: 1
Unknown nationality: 8
—Anusonadisai Nattasuda in Bangkok
The central Bangkok intersection where the bomb went off has been reopened to traffic, some 17 hours after the devastating explosion.
Investigators had spent all night and morning combing through the debris at Rachaprasong intersection, littered with shattered glass and blood stains. Police had closed roads within a few hundred meters (yards) of the intersection, a key and usually congested hub of the capital.
Pedestrians had been able to get closer to the scene, and many took pictures Tuesday morning from behind police tape.
Thai officials have raised the death toll to 20 in Monday night’s central Bangkok bombing, and the number injured has risen to 140.
The new numbers come from the Narinthorn emergency medical rescue center, which previously said 18 people had been killed and 117 hurt.
Hong Kong has raised its travel alert for Bangkok to “red,” advising its travelers to avoid non-essential trips to Thailand.
The Hong Kong government has said two of its residents died in the attack.
Japanese media are reporting that a 31-year-old Japanese man is among the seriously injured. Kota Ando, an employee of East Japan Railway Company, was on his way home from work when the blast happened.
Ando had moved to Bangkok in July. He had been sent by his employer to work in the office of Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co. for up to one year.
Bangkok has a large Japanese expat community, as many Japanese companies have offices and factories in Thailand.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha promised to “hurry and find the bombers.”
“We haven’t concluded who did this, but they definitely are bad people,” he told journalists before a Tuesday morning Cabinet meeting. “No matter what their intentions are, they took lives of innocent people.”
“This is the worst incident that has ever happened in Thailand,” he said. “There have been minor bombs or just noise, but this time they aim for innocent lives. They want to destroy our economy, our tourism.”
“I have seen the footage, we have some suspects but it is not so clear. We have to find them first.”
A notice on the website of the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok says three Chinese tourists were among the dead from the explosion and more than 20 others had been injured. The Hong Kong government said two of its residents died, and it is not known whether China included those fatalities in its total.
“The Chinese Embassy especially wishes to remind Chinese citizens in Thailand or who are planning to come to Thailand to strengthen awareness of their surroundings, attend to their travel safety and make rational travel plans,” the embassy said.
ref:usnews
