Bomb kills 1, wounds 20 in South

Bomb kills 1, wounds 20 in South

One defence volunteer was killed and nearly 20 people including passengers and train staff were wounded, many seriously, in a bomb explosion that hit a local train in Ruso district in Narathiwat province on Sunday morning.

Pol Lt-Col Jakrit Wongprommet, deputy chief of Ruso police station, said the incident occurred at about 7.30am when a bomb planted on the railway track at the Bukit Yure station near Ban Salo in Ruso district was detonated while the Yala - Sungai Kolok train No 453 stopped at the station.

The bomb, which was made of a gas cylinder and weighed about 100kg, exploded. The militants who laid in wait near the station then opened fire.

The huge explosion badly damaged the train's passenger cars, killing one and wounding nearly 20 people.  The killed was a defence volunteer who was not yet identified. The wounded included one railway police officer and two train ticket inspectors.

The rest of the wounded were passengers.   Four or five of them had their legs or arms cut off by the shrapnel.

All of the wounded were rushed to Ruso Hospital.

The explosion left a big hole, about 3 metres in diametre and 2 metres deep, on the rail track. Two passenger cars derailed.

The train services this route were subsequently suspended.

State Railway of Thailand governor Prapat Chongsa-nguan said he would travel down South on Sunday for inspection.

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