Police are on alert for further explosive devices as some businesses in Hua Hin and Phuket shut and tourists are warned against travel
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As details of each incident trickle out, it is clear some of the devices were detonated using timers or a mobile phone signal.
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Authorities have released a list of 10 names of foreign tourists injured in the Thursday night blasts in Hua Hin. They include two Dutch men, a Dutch woman, and seven others ranging in age from 16 to 48.
We have not yet been able to independently confirm their identities.
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The police have said they have detained suspects but the group or motivation is still unclear. However, spokesman Piyapan Ping said the intention was to cause chaos.
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Tourist Shane Brett has told the ABC in Australia he was in Hua Hin when the first explosion was heard.
“I was at a bar in the main bar district in Hua Hin right outside the Hilton hotel and at first I heard kind of a bang ... and everyone kind of panicked,” Brett said.
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The police have also just completely ruled out the insurgent groups from the south as being behind the attacks. They consider it a case of domestically inspired ‘local sabotage’ rather than terrorism from the south.
They are holding another media conference in two hours.
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To give a sense of the span of these attacks, the resort town of Hua Hin is about 200km south of Bangkok. The southern provinces affected, such as Phuket, are about 850km south of the capital, or about an hour’s flight.
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Reporter Adam Ramsey has the latest from a media conference the police have just held. They have confirmed four people have died in a series of bombings in the past 24 hours.
Two died on Thursday (one in the town of Hua Hin, one in Trang province). Two died in the second wave of attacks on Friday (one in Hua Hin, one in Surat Thani province)
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There are reports Hua Hin station was closed not simply as a precaution but because of ‘suspicious parcels’. We will keep you updated once we know more. My colleague Oliver Holmes is heading there soon. You will be able to follow updates from him on Twitter @olireports
11:08 EOD at Hua Hin railway station after suspicious parcels found. Station still closed (Via @kapookdotcom) pic.twitter.com/eV9MYkfa4p
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Security is being stepped up at Phuket international airport, according to Thai PBS news.
This follows the prime minister’s orders to tighten security across landmarks and public places popular with tourists.
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The blasts this morning at Hua Hin took place at its clock tower following a short ceremony to celebrate the Queen’s birthday and Mother’s Day in Thailand.
The event included Buddhist collection of alms and ended around 8am. The two explosions occurred, in succession, about an hour later.
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No group has yet claimed responsibility, however, analysts have pointed out taht Muslim insurgent groups in the south have for years been fighting the Thai state.
Paul Chambers, an expert on the Thai military, said Malay-Muslim insurgent groups from the south were prime suspects in the blasts.
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The prime minister has called for calm but said he did not know who was behind the attacks.
“The bombs are an attempt to create chaos and confusion,” Prayut is quoted by AFP as saying. “We should not make people panic more.”
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Prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered security to be increased across urban areas and areas popular with tourists.
Government spokesman Major General Sansern Kaewkamnerd said: “The PM has issued emergency orders to the relevant agencies in the areas to prevent other bombing incidents from happening again, increase the security in the crowd areas, and appoint those who are responsible to handle the situation in an emergency event.”
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We are getting reports of more blasts in the past 90 minutes. The permanent secretary of Thailand’s Interior Ministry just confirmed three bombings this morning in the southern province Phang Nga, which neighbours Phuket. The timings are not yet exact: around 10am for the first two, then around 10.30am for the third. No injuries have been reported.
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The Spanish and British governments have advised travellers to avoid public places and exercise caution. Hua Hin and Phuket province are of course popular with tourists, especially from Europe, with beaches, surf, night markets and the red light district all drawcards
Residentes y turistas en #Tailandia, manteneos alerta, evitad aglomeraciones y lugares públicos y extremad la precaución.
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The situation is still far from clear, but the town of Hua Hin appears to be most affected, with two sets of explosions. Its train station and cinema have been closed.
Update: This is what I am tracking now in #Thailand. Lots of questions, few answers. pic.twitter.com/zkJOZvh8kd
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A series of apparently coordinated blasts has hit tourist towns in southern Thailand. Three people are reported dead so far and at least 19 have been injured.
The bombings have come in two waves: one on Thursday night and a second on Friday morning. There are fears there may be more devices, with reports two more may have been defused.
Related: Thailand bomb blasts: three dead as tourist hotspots hit by series of explosions
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