Bangkok Shrine Blast: Several Foreigners Among 27 Killed Outside Erawan Shrine

The death toll in the bomb explosion in the centre of the Thai capital has gone up to 27, said Reuters quoting local media.

Several foreigners were among those killed when a bomb planted on a motorcycle exploded outside a shrine in the Thai capital on Monday.

© Provided by Hindustan Times Officials close off an intersection after an explosion rocked central Bangkok on Monday, killing over two dozens of people and injuring several others. (AP/PTI)

The Nation television said 27 had been killed in the blast at the Erawan Hindu shrine, and other media said at least three foreigners were among them. Most of the injured were tourists from China and Taiwan, media said.

At least two bombs were found at the scene, said Maj. Gen. Weerachon Sukhondhapatipak, a spokesman for Thailand's ruling junta. He said at least one had detonated.

The explosion took place at the Rajprasong intersection, which was the center of many contentious political demonstrations in recent years. It occurred in front of the Erawan Shrine, a tourist landmark also popular with Thais.

The first bomb was found inside the shrine compound, while the second was found opposite the complex, Weerachon said.

A Reuters witness at the scene said she saw pieces of human flesh near the blast site, and a soldier later told onlookers to move back, saying they were checking for a second bomb.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility. 

PHOTOS: Bomb blast rocks Bangkok

A tweet by Bob James, a sub-editor with Bangkok Post Digital Media, said the police believed most of the people injured were foreign tourists. 

NDTV, quoting India's envoy, said there were no reports of Indians being hurt in the explosion.

The external affairs ministry has tweeted the emergency numbers and the contact number of the Indian embassy for any Indian in distress.

Bangkok blast: Any Indian in distress should contact Indian Embassy. Emergency no +66618819218. Embassy landline numbers: +6622580300-5

— Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) August 17, 2015

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has condemned the bomb blast that took place outside a Hindu temple in Thai capital.

"I strongly condemn the blast in Bangkok. My thoughts are with the families of the deceased. I pray for a speedy recovery of the injured," he tweeted.

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 country has also been riven for a decade by intense and sometimes violent rivalry between political factions in Bangkok and elsewhere.

The army has ruled Thailand since May 2014, when it ousted an elected government after months of, at times, violent anti-government protests.

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.

Source: msn.com/en-in/news/world/deadly-blast-in-bangkok-kills-at-least-27/ar-BBlOcIH?ocid=spartanntp