PATTANI — A hospital appealed for blood Tuesday evening after a pickup truck exploded at the entrance of a supermarket in Pattani province, wounding at least 58 people, including children.
Regional police commander Ronnasilp Phusara said unidentified individuals parked the vehicle in front of a Big C shopping center in downtown Pattani before throwing fireworks into the store and fleeing the scene.
Once police officers arrived at the scene, the truck exploded, Maj. Gen. Ronnasilp said.
Pattani Provincial Hospital said in a statement that 58 people were injured by the blast. There is no fatality so far. The hospital also appealed for blood donations of all types for the victims.
The bomb attack devastated parking lot and sections of the supermarket.
The southern border provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat have been rocked by waves of secessionist violence since early 2004, a conflict that has claimed more than 6,800 people, many of whom were civilians
