In Thailand, two powerful bomb blasts outside a hugely popular Lord Brahma temple in a crowded business district in Bangkok on Monday killed at least 27 people, including four foreigners. The twin blasts occurred in a space of minutes around 7 pm (5:30 IST) outside Erawan Shrine in the downtown Chidlom district.

The temple is located on a main road through Bangkok’s commercial hub and is surrounded by three major shopping malls. It is among Bangkok’s most popular tourist attractions. However, there were no reports of any Indian casualties in the explosions.

Police said first an improvised explosive device fastened to a utility pole in front of the temple at the Ratchaprasong intersection detonated which was immediately followed by a motorbike bomb blast, causing two nearby taxis to explode.

No group has claimed responsibility for the blast, which the government believed was aimed at damaging economy and tourism, Bomb attacks in Bangkok are extremely rare.

In 2012, a series of explosions hit Bangkok, injuring five people. Thai authorities said that the bombings were a botched attempt by Iranian nationals to assassinate Israeli diplomats. Several Iranians were arrested and charged for the attacks, one of whom was badly injured.