Police say bomb at Thai hospital wounds more than 20 people

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Bangkok (AP) – A bomb exploded at an army-run hospital in Bangkok on Monday, the third anniversary of a military coup, and authorities said more than 20 people were wounded.

People gather in front of the entrance of Phramongkutklao Hospital, a military-owned hospital in Bangkok that is also open to civilians, after a bomb wounded more than 20 people, Monday, May 22. The deputy commissioner of the Royal Thai Police said investigators found traces of batteries and wires at the scene Monday. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
People gather in front of the entrance of Phramongkutklao Hospital, a military-owned hospital in Bangkok that is also open to civilians, after a bomb wounded more than 20 people, Monday, May 22. The deputy commissioner of the Royal Thai Police said investigators found traces of batteries and wires at the scene Monday. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Investigators found remnants of batteries and wires at the scene of the blast on the ground floor of Phra­mongkutklao Hospital, said Srivara Ransibrahmanakul, Thailand’s deputy national police chief.

“We can confirm at this stage that it is a bomb,” he said.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the explosion or if it was linked to the anniversary of the 2014 military coup.

But the army chief, Gen. Chalermchai Sittisart, said it appeared that the explosion and two earlier blasts in recent weeks used similar explosive materials and were likely part of an attempt to disrupt the government.

“All of this was conducted with the goal of creating disorder to the administrative work of the government and NCPO,” he said.

But he cautioned that “we shouldn’t conclude anything yet” about who was behind the attack.

The blast wounded 21 people, one of them severely, said Lt. Gen. Saroj Kiewkajee, a hospital official. Thirteen were discharged soon after the explosion.

Phramongkutklao is a military-run hospital that is also open to civilians. The blast radius from the explosion was 2 to 3 meters, police said.

Since the 2014 coup, at least six explosions have occurred in Bangkok.

Last week, a bomb went off in front of the country’s National Theater, wounding two people. Last month, a similar explosion took place in front of an old government lottery office, also wounding two.

Those blasts used similar explosives but did far less physical damage than Monday’s bomb, the army chief said.

“This bomb was meant to cause casualties as it was packed with a large number of nails,” Chalermchai said.

Most of the bombs in Bangkok have caused only minor damage, except for a blast in August 2015 that killed about 20 people near a popular Hindu shrine.