Double explosion at Thai tourist hotspot of Pattani injures 59

The total number of people wounded in a double explosion at a shopping mall in the Muang district of the Thai Pattani province has reached 59, local media reported Wednesday.

The first bomb exploded inside the mall at 2 p.m. local time (07:00 GMT) on Tuesday, while the second one planted in a motorbike parked outside blew up as people were leaving the building.

Two people sustained critical injuries and 21 have already been discharged from hospitals, The Bangkok Post newspaper reported.

Thai Deputy Defense Minister Udomdej Sitabutr has ruled out the possible involvement of the Daesh terror group (banned in Russia) in the bombings.

Thailand’s southern-most Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani provinces on the border with Malaysia are majority-Malay and predominantly Muslim, whereas the rest of the state’s provinces are mostly populated by Buddhists.