Bangkok is one a state of high alert following a second bomb attack on Tuesday afternoon.
An explosive device was thrown at the Sathorn boat pier at about 1.20pm yesterday – an area usually busy with tourists. The device appears to have been thrown or dropped from Taksin Bridge, which runs above Sathorn Pier. Images from the scene show a huge plume of water covering passers-by, as the device landed in the river and exploded.
Fortunately no-one was injured, but the incident could have been worse; a local boat driver later showed Travel Daily some metal ball bearings he had found at the scene.
Thailand’s police chief, Somyot Pumpunmuang, has now officially linked the Sathorn pier attack with the devastating bomb that hit the Erawan Shrine on Monday. Reported by the Bangkok Post, he said that both devices were found have used TNT stuffed into a metal pipe, although Tuesday’s bomb appears to have been smaller than Monday’s, with approximately half the blast radius.
Sathorn Pier is a busy spot for locals and tourists. It is the place where commuters can connect from the BTS Skytrain to Bangkok’s river taxi services, as well as being the main dock for luxury hotel boats. It is also the place where tourists catch boats to the Asiatique night market – a popular tourist attraction, especially for Chinese visitors.
Tuesday’s attack comes less than 24 hours after the deadly bomb attack on the Erawan Shrine in central Bangkok, which is now known to have killed at least 20 people and injured more than 120 others. Both attacks appear to have targeted areas of the city where large numbers of tourists gather. At least eight tourists died in Monday’s blast, including citizens of China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Several countries have now upgraded their travel advisories to Thailand, with Hong Kong telling its citizens to avoid “all non-essential” travel to the kingdom.
Thai police are now hunting for a man they believe carried out Monday’s attack. The suspect, who appears to be a young male, was caught on CCTV entering the Erawan Shrine carrying a black rucksack. He is later seen leaving the shrine without the bag.
No-one has claimed responsibility for Monday’s attack.
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