Bombing in Thai-Malaysian border province causes many casualties

Thai police investigate after a terrorist attack in the south. (Source: AFP)

The deceased victim was a woman whose identity has not been determined. Of the 18 injured, eight were police officers and 10 were civilians.

Some witnesses said it was a car bomb after seeing a badly damaged and burning vehicle. The explosion also shattered windows and damaged ceilings in nearby apartments. Authorities have cordoned off the scene of the blast amid fears of further bombings.

This is the first car bombing this year in Thailand's three southernmost provinces, where conflict exists between government troops and ethnic separatist groups.

Most recently, in the early morning of March 22, 2024, many arson attacks occurred in 3 southern provinces of Thailand, killing one woman and destroying many shops and equipment.

According to local police, the attackers targeted convenience stores that were open all night, threatening employees before setting fire to the stores.

"At least 30 attacks, including arson and bombings, have been reported in three southern provinces since the beginning of the year," local police said.

Thailand's southern provinces along the border with Malaysia have been the scene of a decades-long insurgency, with the Thai government fighting groups seeking independence for the predominantly Muslim provinces of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and parts of Songkhla.