Death toll from WWII bomb explosion rises to eight

BANGKOK, April 3 (TNA) - Death toll from a WWII bomb explosion at a scrap shop in Bangkok on April 2 has risen to eight, while 16-20 others remain injured. Deputy National Police Chief Police General Aek Angsananont told reporters of the update while inspecting the scrap shop on Lat Plakhao 72 Road, Yaek 14, in Bangkok's Bang Khen area on Thursday morning, saying that the latest dead victim was a three-year-old girl. Police General Aek revealed that authorities have continued checking whether there are more dead victims, while police have been gathering evidence to prepare prosecution against the scrap shop operator, whose husband and two sons reportedly died in Wednesday afternoon's old bomb explosion as well. According to the deputy national police chief, the shop opened three years ago but it has not yet been received a license from the Bang Khen District Office. Wednesday's explosion reportedly resulted from an air-dropped bomb of the World War II period and the deputy national police chief acknowledged that such old bombs had been discovered on a few occasions lately and more of them were expected to be buried. Police Colonel Kamthorn Ouicharoen, a superintendent of the Royal Thai Police's Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Unit, reported that the bomb was a 500-pound air-dropped “General Purpose” explosive used 70 years ago, which can still explode if they remain in good conditions. Bomb experts have kept combing through the scrap shop to ensure that no more explosive devices remain there. Meanwhile, local people met police and district officials to file complaints that about more than 30 houses damaged by impacts of the explosion, while the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) will initially pay 30,000 baht for each totally-damaged house, 10,000 baht for each partially-damaged house and 10,000 baht for each dead victim. (TNA)