PATTANI, Sept 21 – Six people were killed and scores, most of them policemen, were injured in an explosion near a busy marketplace in this violence-plagued province in Thailand’s deep South today.
Five persons died at the scene near the municipality fresh market in Saiuburi district’s Tambon Taluban. One victim was pronounced dead at hospital.
Bomb experts who inspected the scene said a home-made bomb was put in a sedan bearing a counterfeit license plate. The vehicle was parked in front of a motorcycle shop, across the street from a gold shop.
Before the explosion, gunmen fired at the gold shop, located opposite the motorcycle shop, after which police were tipped off and rushed to the scene.
The gold shop is only 100 metres from the police station. A large group of police officers and volunteers responded to the shattered gold shop, only to be caught in an apparent decoy trap with the car bomb.
In addition to the dead, the injured included more than 10 police. Saiburi police station deputy chief Pol Lt-Col Pattanapong Thongduan was among the seriously injured.
