Bomb explodes in Bangkok: 12 dead, body parts scattered on the street

At least 12 people have been killed in a powerful explosion that shook central Bangkok on Monday, world agencies report, as carried by the Patria news agency.

Police have confirmed that a bomb placed on a motorcycle exploded near a Hindu shrine and a popular tourist destination at a major intersection in the capital and main port of Thailand, with at least 78 people injured according to the latest information.

"All I can say is that there was an explosion in central Bangkok involving a bomb placed on a motorcycle," said Deputy National Police Chief Aek Angsananond to Reuters.

BBC correspondent Jonathan Head reports widespread chaos, burned motorcycles, and body parts scattered on the street. Police and emergency teams are removing the dead and treating the wounded.

"When I arrived, they had already removed bodies from outside and in front of the shrine, but there were and still are pieces of human flesh; it is truly disturbing," said one eyewitness, Alessandro Ursic, to the BBC.

The Rajprasong intersection has been the center of numerous political protests in recent years, and Head says that bomb attacks in Bangkok are extremely rare.