One dead, 30 wounded in Thai car bombing

A car bomb exploded in Pattani, a nightlife district located in Thailand's deep south, killing one and wounding over 30 late on Tuesday.

The incident occurred outside a hotel in Pattani, one of three Muslim-majority southern provinces of Thailand, which have been facing a long-running and shadowy rebellion against the Buddhist-majority state.

The Daily Star quoted Major General Thanongsak Wangsupa, Pattani's provincial police commander, as saying that the hotel had been considerably damaged by the blast.

Pictures showed fires burning on the road outside the hotel's shattered facade, with police picking through the rubble.

Nearby a car was destroyed, and karaoke bars, massage parlours and restaurants were also damaged.

Police said in a statement that the strike on the Southern View Hotel was preceded by a smaller bomb blast at a nearby bar, a so-called "double tap" tactic often adopted by insurgents. No-one was hurt in that explosion.