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A Second Explosion Hits Bangkok, As Police Track Down Suspect In First Blast

Investigations continue at the Erawan Shrine the morning after an explosion in Bangkok, Thailand. Thailand's prime minister on Tuesday promised that authorities would quickly track down those responsible for the bombing.
Mark Baker AP
Investigations continue at the Erawan Shrine the morning after an explosion in Bangkok, Thailand. Thailand's prime minister on Tuesday promised that authorities would quickly track down those responsible for the bombing.

This image, released by the Royal Thai Police shows a man near the Erawan Shrine before an explosion occurred in Bangkok, Thailand, on Monday.
AP
This image, released by the Royal Thai Police shows a man near the Erawan Shrine before an explosion occurred in Bangkok, Thailand, on Monday.

As police searched for a man they believe was responsible for a blast that killed at least 20 and injured 140 on Monday, a second explosion hit Bangkok on Tuesday.

The second explosion was not deadly. According to the Bangkok Post, someone threw a pipe bomb off a bridge. The bomb hit a pillar, detonated, and sent "up a large plume of water."

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The blast on Monday was caused by a improvised explosive device. The AP reports that police released security video of a man wearing a yellow shirt, who they say placed the device in a bustling area of town.

The AP reports:

"Police Lt. Gen. Prawut Thavornsiri earlier released several photos of the man, with and without the backpack, that were apparently taken from closed-circuit video at the Erawan Shrine, before the bomb exploded near a busy intersection. ..."Monday's blast, from an improvised explosive device, took place around 7 p.m. local time near the shrine, a Hindu religious site popular with Thai Buddhists and Chinese tourists. It is located in a bustling area. Thailand's prime minister vowed to track down those responsible. "Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said 'some suspects' were seen in security-camera footage, and described the incident as the worst attack in the country's history."

The BBC reports that the neither the suspects nor their motives have been identified. The BBC adds:

"There is no shortage of potential suspects - people might wonder if it was the Muslim insurgency fighting for an independent state in the deep south. Lots of bombs go off there but, the insurgents have never perpetrated an attack outside their own area, so this would be an entire change in tactics. "People also look at the recent political violence and wonder if factions who lost out might have been involved. "It will be some time before the government gives some idea of what we should be looking for."

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