Bangkok • A bomb exploded Monday within a central Bangkok shrine that is among the city's most popular tourist spots, killing at least 18 people and injuring more than 100 across a hectic intersection surrounded by five-star hotels and upscale shopping malls.
With a powerful flash caught on security video and a boom heard blocks away, the blast from the improvised explosive device scattered body parts across Rachaprasong intersection, spattered blood, blasted windows and burned motorbikes to the metal. It exploded during evening rush hour as the area was filled with tourists, office workers and shoppers.
"Suddenly there was a big boom, and the whole room just shook, like someone dropped a wrecking ball on top of our ceiling," said Pim Niyomwan, an English instructor working on the eighth floor of the building right next to the shrine.
Video shortly after the blast depicts a scene of shock and desperation: people running for their lives and crying amid the debris. An emergency worker in an ambulance, frantically pounding the chest of a victim.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing.
"Those who have planted this bomb are cruel," said national police Chief Somyot Poompummuang. "They aim 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."
At least 18 people were confirmed dead and 117 injured, according to the Narinthorn emergency medical rescue center.
As a single, devastating blow to this Southeast Asian metropolis, Monday's bombing has no equal in recent history, though Thailand is no stranger to violent attacks. A more-than-decade-long insurgency by southern Muslim separatists has left more than 5,000 dead far from the capital. In Bangkok, politically charged riots centered on this intersection in 2010 killed more than 90 during two months.
Police said the bomb was made with a pipe wrapped in cloth. Police said it was too soon to determine the motive.
"We still don't know for sure who did this and why," Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon told reporters. "We are not sure if it is politically motivated, but they aim to harm our economy, and we will hunt them down."
The bomb detonated at Erawan Shrine, which 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 Hindu influence on its religious practices and language.
The shrine, adjacent to a five-star hotel, is at the intersection of two arteries. Tourists come there to pray at all hours, lighting incense and offering flowers purchased from rows of stalls set up on the sidewalk along the shrine. The site is a hubbub of activity, with quiet worshippers sometimes flanked by Thai dancers hired by those seeking good fortune, while groups of tourists shuffle in and out.
Debris lies on the pavement after an explosion in Bangkok, Monday, Aug. 17, 2015. A large explosion rocked a central Bangkok intersection during the evening rush hour, killing a number of people and injuring others, police said. (AP Photo/Sackchai Lalit)
Motorcycles are strewn about after an explosion in Bangkok, Monday, Aug. 17, 2015. A large explosion rocked a central Bangkok intersection during the evening rush hour, killing a number of people and injuring others, police said. (AP Photo/Jerry Harmer)
A policeman photographs debris from an explosion in central Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, Aug. 17, 2015. A large explosion rocked a central Bangkok intersection during the evening rush hour, killing at least three people and injuring 25 others, police said. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Motorcycles and debris lies on the pavement after an explosion in Bangkok, Monday, Aug. 17, 2015. A large explosion rocked a central Bangkok intersection during the evening rush hour, killing a number of people and injuring others, police said. (AP Photo/Sackchai Lalit)
A policeman photographs debris from an explosion in central Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, Aug. 17, 2015. A large explosion rocked a central Bangkok intersection during the evening rush hour, killing a number of people and injuring others, police said. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
A policeman photographs debris from an explosion in central Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, Aug. 17, 2015. A large explosion rocked a central Bangkok intersection during the evening rush hour, killing a number of people and injuring others, police said. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Emergency personnel work at the scene after an explosion in Bangkok, Monday, Aug. 17, 2015. A large explosion rocked a central Bangkok intersection during the evening rush hour, killing a number of people and injuring others, police said. (AP Photo/Sackchai Lalit)
Officials close off an intersection after an explosion in Bangkok, Monday, Aug. 17, 2015. A large explosion rocked a central Bangkok intersection during the evening rush hour, killing a number of people and injuring others, police said. (AP Photo/Sackchai Lalit)
A policeman photographs debris from an explosion in central Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, Aug. 17, 2015. A large explosion rocked a central Bangkok intersection during the evening rush hour, killing a number of people and injuring others, police said. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
A policeman photographs debris from an explosion in central Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, Aug. 17, 2015. A large explosion rocked a central Bangkok intersection during the evening rush hour, killing a number of people and injuring others, police said. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Motorcycles are strewn about after an explosion in Bangkok, Monday, Aug. 17, 2015. A large explosion rocked a central Bangkok intersection during the evening rush hour, killing a number of people and injuring others, police said. (AP Photo/Jerry Harmer)
Police investigate the scene after an explosion in Bangkok, Monday, Aug. 17, 2015. A large explosion rocked a central Bangkok intersection during the evening rush hour, killing a number of people and injuring others, police said(AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Police investigate the scene after an explosion in Bangkok, Monday, Aug. 17, 2015. A large explosion rocked a central Bangkok intersection during the evening rush hour, killing a number of people and injuring others, police said(AP Photo/Mark Baker)
A policeman photographs debris from an explosion in central Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, Aug. 17, 2015. A large explosion rocked a central Bangkok intersection during the evening rush hour, killing a number of people and injuring others, police said. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
In this image provided by Mongkol Nunthalikitkun flames burn after an explosion in Bangkok, Monday, Aug. 17, 2015. A large explosion rocked a central Bangkok intersection during the evening rush hour, killing a number of people and injuring others, police said. (Mongkol Nunthalikitkun via AP)
National police chief Somyot Poompanmount talks to the media near the site of a large explosion in Banbkok Thailand, Monday, Aug. 17, 2015. A large explosion rocked a central Bangkok intersection during the evening rush hour, killing a number of people and injuring others, police said(AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Police investigate the scene at the Erawan Shrine after an explosion in Bangkok,Thailand, Monday, Aug. 17, 2015. A large explosion rocked a central Bangkok intersection during the evening rush hour, killing a number of people and injuring others, police said(AP Photo/Mark Baker)
This image taken from security footage provided by Thai PBS shows the moment of an explosion in central Bangkok, Thailand, on Monday, Aug. 17, 2015. A large explosion rocked a central Bangkok intersection during the evening rush hour, killing a number of people and injuring others, police said. (Thai PBS via AP) NO ACCESS THAILAND
A wounded Chinese national lies on a gurney at the Police General Hospital after an explosion in Bangkok, Monday, Aug. 17, 2015. A bomb exploded at a popular shrine near a key political protest site in central Bangkok on Monday evening, the government said, killing a number of people and injuring scores of others. (AP Photo/Penny Yi Wang)
This image taken from security footage provided by Thai PBS shows the moment of an explosion in central Bangkok, Thailand, on Monday, Aug. 17, 2015. A large explosion rocked a central Bangkok intersection during the evening rush hour, killing a number of people and injuring others, police said. (Thai PBS via AP) NO ACCESS THAILAND
In this April 4, 2015, photo, visitors gather at the Erawan Shrine at the Rajprasong intersection in Bangkok, Thailand. A bomb exploded at the popular Erawan Shrine in central Bangkok during evening rush hour Monday, Aug. 17, 2015, killing a number of people and injuring scores in a neighborhood full of five-star hotels and upscale shopping malls. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
This image taken from AP video shows a man talking into a mobile photo after an explosion in central Bangkok, Thailand, on Monday, Aug. 17, 2015. A large explosion rocked a central Bangkok intersection during the evening rush hour, killing a number of people and injuring others, police said. (Photo via AP Video)
In this image taken from AP video, a man talks into a mobile phone after a large explosion rocked a central Bangkok intersection on Monday, Aug. 17, 2015, during the evening rush hour, killing a number of people and injuring others. (Photo via AP Video)
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