Seven Chinese nationals have been confirmed killed in Monday's explosion in central Bangkok, while Thai police have offered a high bounty on a main suspect.
The confirmed Chinese fatalities include five from Chinese mainland and two from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Chinese Embassy in Thailand said Wednesday.
Another 26 Chinese, including 19 from Chinese mainland, five from Hong Kong and two from China's Taiwan, were being treated in hospitals, the embassy said.
Thai police on Wednesday offered a reward of 1 million baht (28,100 U.S. dollars) for any information that can lead to the capture of a main suspect and released a sketch of the foreign-looking young man wearing a yellow T-shirt and glasses.
Camera footage showed that the suspected perpetrator left a backpack purportedly with some dynamite inside the Erawan Shrine, a popular tourist destination in downtown Bangkok, shortly before the deadly explosion which has left at least 20 people dead and more than 100 others injured.
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha urged the "amateur" culprit to surrender himself to police, warning he could otherwise be killed.
"The bombing suspect could probably be killed if he did not surrender for his own safety. His life is being fatally jeopardized by those who had hired him and might be looking to silence him," Prayut said.
Local media reported Thursday that Thai police have identified in a security footage the chief suspect's possible accomplices -- two males dressed in red and white respectively, standing close to the main suspect.
Further investigation has revealed that the explosives were not those commonly used by southern separatists while police chief Somyot Poompanmoung believed that the bombing was carried out by "a network."
Thai authorities have described Monday's bombing as a terrorist attack that targeted the country's tourism industry. However, no terrorist organization has claimed responsibility for the attack.
In a televised public address, Prayut condemned the inhumane bombing and blamed it on some unknown, ill-intentioned elements who might only seek to "destroy" the Thai economy and tourist industry by perpetrating such violence at public places.
Though far fewer tourists visited the shrine after it reopened Wednesday morning amid heightened security, many came to mourn the dead and bless those alive.
Madam Liu from Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia, said she felt sad when seeing fewer tourists at the Erawan Shrine which used to be very crowded.
A Thai woman in her 50s also came to the shrine which is "the harbor of our hearts" and strongly condemned the blast for hurting those innocent people.
Currently, traffic around the shrine at Ratchaprasong intersection has resumed and the debris left by the blast has largely been cleaned.
Analysts say the deadly bomb attack could take its toll on Thailand's tourism, a major pillar of the country's weakening economy dragged down by contracted exports.
The remainder of this year is expected to witness slower economic growth, which will rely heavily on government spending and tourism, but the blast will have a short-term impact on the tourism industry, said Huang Bin, an expert with Kasikorn Research Center, a Thai think tank.
"It is hoped that Monday's explosion is only an isolated incident, with no more similar attacks to follow. The Thai government will take measures to ensure safety, restore tourists' confidence and protect the tourism sector from being severely affected," Huang said.
