A bomb exploded Monday outside a religious shrine in a bustling hub of the Thai capital, killing at least 19 people and injuring more than 120 others in an attack authorities said targeted foreigners. The blast occurred about 6:30 pm (1130 GMT) when the streetside Erawan Shrine close to some of Bangkok's most popular upscale shopping malls was packed with worshippers and tourists.
"I heard a very loud bang, it made the whole building shake so I ran outside to see what had happened," Panupan Chansing, 20, a hotel worker at the nearby Grand Hyatt Erawan, told AFP. "I saw bodies lying on the ground and I saw vehicles on fire. I feel very sad and sorry that this has happened to Thai people... I'm scared."
Police confirmed 19 people were killed, including 10 Thais, one Chinese and one Filipino citizen. More than 120 others were injured, according to police. The nationalities of the other people who died were not immediately clear. But China's official Xinhua news agency said two Chinese nationals had died, while the governments of Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan reported that some of their citizens were injured. Bangkok has endured years of deadly political violence, with a military junta now ruling the nation, and a decades-long Muslim insurgency in the far south that has claimed thousands of lives. Police spokesman Prawut Thavornsiri told AFP the blast, the deadliest single assault in recent years, was likely politically motivated and designed to bring "chaos".
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