Thai rescue workers carry an injured person after a bomb exploded outside a religious shrine in central Bangkok late on August 17, 2015.(Photo/CFP)
Summary
** Blast occurred near a popular Hindu shrine in the Thai capital at approximately 7:15 p.m.
** Three Chinese nationals were killed, and around 15 others injured.
** No immediate claim of responsibility
Three Chinese nationals were killed, and around 15 others injured, some seriously, in the blast that happened at about 7 pm local time near a renowned shrine in central Bangkok, according to the Chinese embassy in Thailand on Monday.
The number of Chinese casualties is yet to be finalized, the embassy said.
The bomb planted by attackers inside the Erawan shrine at a major city-centre intersection killed 19 people, and wounded more than 100.
The injured, including Thais, Chinese nationals and Filipinos, have been rushed to nearby hospitals, according to the police.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast.
The Chinese embassy has initiated its emergency response system and sent staff members to hospitals to visit the injured. Volunteers are being arranged to provide interpretation services at the hospitals, according to the embassy.
Sun, a staff member of the embassy, said that relatives concerned for their family members in Thailand can dial 0066-854833327 to contact the embassy for information and help.
"I had just paid tribute to the Buddha. When I was washing my hands, I suddenly heard a huge explosion. I turned around and found that four people standing behind me were all lying on the ground", Gu Xinlun, a Chinese tourist who arrived in Bangkok on Monday, told China Daily in the Police General Hospital in Bangkok.
He said the blast killed one of his friends and his left hand was also injured.
The shrine, on a busy corner near top hotels, shopping centres, offices and a hospital, is a major attraction, especially for visitors from East Asia. Many ordinary Thais also worship there.
"The perpetrators intended to destroy the economy and tourism, because the incident occurred in the heart of the tourism district," Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said.
The government would set up a "war room" to coordinate the response to the blast, the Nation television channel quoted Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha as saying.
At the scene lay burnt out motorcycles, with rubble from the shrine's wall and pools of blood on the street.
Earlier, authorities had ordered onlookers back, saying they were checking for a second bomb but police later said no other explosive devices were found.
Authorities stepped up security checks at some major city intersections and in tourist areas. The city's elevated railway, which passes over the scene, was operating normally.
Occasional small blasts have been blamed on one side or the other. Two pipe bombs exploded outside a luxury shopping mall in the same area in February, but caused little damage.
Police said that attack was aimed at raising tension when the city was under martial law.
The army has ruled Thailand since May 2014, when it ousted an elected government after months of at times violent anti-government protests.
The shrine intersection was the site of months of anti-government protests in 2010 by supporters of ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Dozens were killed in a military crackdown and a shopping centre was set ablaze.
