Thai PM vows to quickly find bombers in blast that killed 18

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand's prime minister on Tuesday promised that authorities would quickly track down those responsible for the central Bangkok bombing that killed at least 18 people and injured more than 100, which he described as the country's worst attack ever.

The defense minister, meanwhile, said officials had no prior intelligence about Monday's rush-hour bombing of a popular shrine at a hectic intersection.

The blast from the improvised explosive device scattered body parts, spattered blood, blasted windows and burned motorbikes to the metal.

Video shortly after the blast showed a scene of shock and desperation: people running for their lives and crying amid the debris.

The normally busy intersection that was closed off to traffic and eerily empty aside from onlookers standing behind police tape to take pictures.

Barricades were set up outside five-star hotels in the neighborhood and security stopped cars to inspect trunks before letting them pass.

Tensions have risen in recent months, with the junta making clear that it may not hold elections until 2017 and wants a constitution that will allow some type of emergency rule to take the place of an elected government.

The reshuffle, which comes into effect in September, has traditionally been a source of unrest, as different cliques in the army, usually defined by their graduating class in the military academy, seek the most important posts to consolidate their power.

In Washington, State Department spokesman John Kirby expressed deep sympathy to those affected by the Bangkok explosion.