19 Aug 2015

Bomb-hit Bangkok shrine reopens

7:07 pm on 19 August 2015

The shrine in Bangkok which was hit by a deadly explosion on Monday reopened to the public today.

Flowers are laid at the entrance to the reopened Erawan Shrine in Bangkok.

Flowers are laid at the entrance to the reopened Erawan Shrine in Bangkok. Photo: AFP

At least 20 people died and scores were injured in the attack on the Erawan Shrine, a Hindu site which is also popular with Thai Buddhists.

The suspect in the Bangkok bombing.

The suspect in the Bangkok bombing. Photo: AFP / Thai police

Thai police say the main suspect is a young man seen entering the shrine with a backpack then leaving without it.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has said the incident was the worst ever attack on Thailand.

In a separate attack on Tuesday, an explosive device was thrown at a pier in Bangkok. No-one was hurt, but the authorities have not ruled out a link between the incidents.

National police spokesperson Prawut Thawornsiri said on Wednesday that police were also looking for accomplices of the main suspect.

"These types of attacks are not usually planned by one person alone," he said, according to Reuters news agency.

The shrine reopened at about 8am local time (1pm NZST), with a handful of people arriving to place flowers or light incense in front of the slightly damaged statue of the Hindu god Brahma.

A BBC reporter at the scene said there appeared to be low security in place, with the public free to walk in unchecked. She said the last human remains were only cleared from the site earlier on Wednesday.

- BBC

Monks make offerings at the re-opened Erawan Shrine on 19 August 2015.

Monks make offerings at the reopened Erawan Shrine on 19 August 2015. Photo: AFP

A woman prays at the reopened Erawan Shrine in Bangkok.

Photo: AFP

Thai soldiers inspect the scene after a bomb exploded outside a religious shrine in central Bangkok late on August 17, 2015

Soldiers at the scene after a bomb exploded outside a religious shrine in central Bangkok. Photo: AFP