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Car bomb hits hotel in southern Thailand
Another powerful car bomb rocked the southern Thailand Tuesday hours after the government announced plans to establish a new command center in Bangkok to deal with the violence.The explosion occurred near the CS Pattani Hotel in Muang district about 6:50 p.m., injuring an unknown number of people. It severely damaged parts of the hotel and at least one car parked nearby. It also caused a blackout which forced the hotel staff to evacuate its guests. Eyewitnesses said a number of people were wounded by the impact of the explosion which was being investigated late Tuesday night. Security forces were also combing the area around the hotel in case another bomb had been planted. Pattani governor Theera Mintrasak said the bomber drove a pickup truck laden with around 50 kg. of explosive and parked it outside the back gate of the unguarded eight-story hotel. The blast destroyed a nearby power transformer, cutting electricity to the hotel. The powerful explosion also shattered the hotel windows. The hotel kitchen facing the blast site caught fire, which quickly spread to the upper floors of the hotel. It took firefighters more than an hour to control the blaze. About a half hour after the bomb blast, two other power transformers exploded in different locations in downtown Pattani. The explosions caused a blackout in many parts of the Muang district. Security officials were investigating whether the two incidents were related to the hotel incident. Posted by: ryuge 2012-08-01 |
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