Roadside bomb blast kills 4 soldiers in S Tahiland

A powerful roadside bomb blast has claimed the lives of at least four soldiers in a southern region of Thailand, security sources say.

Local security officials said the bomb went off in the Khok Pho district of Pattani Province when an army truck was passing by. The soldiers were returning from duty when the bomb detonated near their military vehicle.

The explosion left a dozen other soldiers wounded, half of them in critical condition.

“Sixteen soldiers were in the army truck. They were being reshuffled for rest and recreation,” media outlets quoted an unnamed senior police officer in the Kha Pho district as saying.

Several Thai bomb squad members have reportedly been seen inspecting the wreckage of the mangled truck at the scene of the blast.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and an investigation into the incident is underway.

Several regions of the troubled Southern Thailand have been plagued with unrest in recent years and car bombs have become frequent.

Police officials say the prime suspects are Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) militants, who have carried out similar attacks in the past. BRN and some other shadowy insurgent groups are usually blamed for nearly daily bombings and shootings which have claimed the lives of more than 5,500 people in Thailand’s restive south since 2004.

The attack came as peace talks between the government and rebels have stalled in recent months.