Bomb Explodes Outside Popular Bangkok Shrine

Published August 17, 2015 at 12:33 PM CDT

Rescue workers carry an injured person after a bomb exploded outside a religious shrine in central Bangkok late on August 17, 2015. (Pornchai Kittiwongsakul/AFP/Getty Images)

An explosion today at a popular shrine in central Bangkok has reportedly killed more than a dozen people. The blast was detonated at a busy downtown intersection where political demonstrations have taken place in recent years. The Erawan Shrine, a tourist landmark that is also popular with Bangkok’s residents, sits at that intersection, as does a five-star hotel.

Bangkok has been relatively peaceful for the past year, since a military coup ousted the country’s civilian government last May. Car bombs, which have been used in southern Thailand by a Muslim separatist insurgency, are nonetheless rare in Bangkok. From Chiang Rai, Thailand, NPR reporter Michael Sullivan joins Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson to discuss the bombing.

Guest

Michael Sullivan, reports for NPR from Thailand. His blog is Mouth of the Mekong. He blogs @MSullivanSEAsia.