Southern Thailand
Bomb Explodes in Koh Samui Car Park, Seven Injured
KOH SAMUI – Police Lieutenant General Prawut Thawonrsiri, a spokesman for the Royal Thai Police, has reported six people have been injured on the island of Koh Samui in Thailand after a vehicle exploded, local media have reported.
The blast happened at about 23:30 local time (16:30 GMT) in Central Festival shopping mall in Surat Thani province.
The improvised bomb was hidden in a pickup truck and went off late Friday night on the basement level of the shopping Central Festival mall.
The bomb destroyed most of the pickup truck and damaged a few other vehicles that were parked nearby at the mall, which was located a few hundred meters (feet) from the popular Chaweng beach.
The authorities are still investigating the scene to find out more details before linking it to any insurgency groups.
The Samui Times says those injured have been treated for shrapnel wounds and shock. There are reports of other fires starting nearby at a shopping center and convenience shop at the same time as the explosion.