Workers clean up the area around the statue of Phra Phrom, center, which is the Thai interpretation of the Hindu god Brahma, at the Erawan Shrine the day after an explosion in Bangkok, Thailand Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2015. Thailand’s prime minister on Tuesday promised that authorities would quickly track down those responsible for the central Bangkok bombing which he described as the country’s worst attack ever. AP
A central Bangkok shrine where a deadly bomb blast killed 20 people reopened Wednesday to the public as authorities searched for a man seen in a grainy security video who they say was the prime suspect in an attack authorities called the worst in the country’s history.
On Monday, August 17, an explosion took place at the Rajprasong intersection in Bangkok, killing 20 people and injuring 126. The incident has been described as Thailand’s worst attack ever.
Reports say that an improvised explosive device blew up around 7 p.m. Monday at the Erawan Shrine, an open-air Hindu temple frequented by tourists and local residents, near a busy intersection in the heart of Bangkok. The blast scattered body parts, spattered blood, blasted nearby shop and office windows and burned motorbikes to the metal.
In response to the attack, Thailand Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha promised that authorities would quickly track down those responsible for the bombing.
“This is the worst incident that has ever happened in Thailand,” the Prime Minister said. “There have been minor bombs or just noise, but this time they aim for innocent lives. They want to destroy our economy, our tourism.”
Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said the attack, which no one immediately claimed responsibility for, was aimed at destroying the country’s economy by targeting a major tourist area.
National chief of police Somyot Poompanmoung said the perpetrators aimed to kill “because everyone knows that at 7 p.m. the shrine is crowded with Thais and foreigners. Planting a bomb there means they want to see a lot of dead people.”
The Erawan Shrine is dedicated to the Hindu god Brahma, but is extremely popular among Thailand’s Buddhists as well as Chinese tourists. Although Thailand is predominantly Buddhist, it has enormous Hindu influence on its religious practices and language.
Below are photos taken at the bombing site.
In this image provided by Mongkol Nunthalikitkun flames burn after an explosion in Bangkok, Monday, Aug. 17, 2015. AP
This cell phone photo taken on Monday, Aug. 17, 2015 and released by China’s Xinhua News Agency shows the scene of an explosion in Bangkok, Thailand. AP
Police investigate the scene at the Erawan Shrine after an explosion in Bangkok,Thailand, Monday, Aug. 17, 2015. AP
Police said they had no doubt that the man seen in the video wearing a yellow shirt and carrying a large backpack was responsible for the attack. But authorities gave no indication that they were aware of his whereabouts.
“The yellow shirt guy is not just the suspect. He is the bomber,” police spokesman Lt. Gen. Prawut Thavornsiri told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
This Aug. 17, 2015, image, shows a man wearing a yellow T-shirt near the Erawan Shrine before an explosion that occurred in Bangkok, Thailand. The first image shows the man wearing a strap backpack and the third image shows the man leaving without the backpack. AP
Investigations continue at the Erawan Shrine the morning after an explosion in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2015. AP
Police use a magnetic tool as they examine debris in front of the Erawan Shrine at Rajprasong intersection in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2015, as investigations continue the morning after an explosion. Police combed through shattered glass and other debris Tuesday from a bomb blast in central Bangkok, trying to determine who set off the most devastating single attack in the capital’s recent history. AP
A man surveys damage in a building of which windows facing the Erawan Shrine were shattered following an explosion at Rajprasong intersection in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2015. AP
Police and soldiers wash the street in front of the Erawan Shrine at Rajprasong intersection in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2015. AP
Damage is visible on the statue of Phra Phrom, which is the Thai interpretation of the Hindu god Brahma, as investigators work at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok, Thailand Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2015. AP
A man prayers near the Erawan Shrine the morning after an explosion in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2015. AP
A woman lights a candle for the victims near the Erawan Shrine at Rajprasong intersection in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2015. AP