BANGKOK, Aug 12 (Xinhua)--Thai Prime Minister Thursday ordered security officials to be vigilant and speed up the investigation of the unusual bomb blast reportedly killing one and injuring at least six in south Thailand.
Police said that the explosion took place at around 3 p.m. local time on Aug 11 in a market downtown of the southern Thailand province Trang, only 100 meters away from the provincial hall and opposite the province's election commission office.
It's reported that the powerful bomb went off at a pavilion under which 78 people were sitting. At least six were seriously injured. Most of them are traders at the market. They were hospitalized. A seriously injured man, identified as Picherd Viriyanuparbpong, 51, died at 6 p.m. during surgery at Trang Hospital on Thursday.
Police have cordoned off the area, and are reportedly inspecting a suspicious bag that was found near the blast site.
Earlier one day in Phuket, a famous tourist destination in south Thailand, a bomb scare took place when police rushed to a hotel after notified of the presence of two objects suspected to be bombs. Both incidents took place just several days after Sunday's national constitution referendum.
While bombings occur regularly in Thailand's southernmost provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala, it is unusual for the insurgency to target areas outside of the Deep South.
Trang's governor said initial reports did not indicate links to terrorism attack.
