Bangkok bomb: First images of scene at Erawan Shrine after massive explosion

A huge bomb has rocked a busy intersection at rush hour in Thailand's capital Bangkok. An Associated Press reporter at the scene said he saw body parts. A reporter for television station Thai PBS said he counted 12 bodies at the scene.

The explosion took place at the Rajprasong intersection, which was the centre of many contentious political demonstrations in recent years. It appeared to have occurred in front of the Erawan Shrine, a tourist landmark popular with Thais and Chinese tourists.

Police and ambulances rushed to the scene after the bomb went off around 7pm local time (12pm GMT). Local police said the bomb could have been hidden in a motorcycle. A Thai blogger quoted a national police spokesman as saying the source was an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) and two more bomb were reported nearby.