Roadside bomb in Narathiwat critically injures three rangers

PHOTO: Waedao Harai

Three paramilitary rangers have been injured in Narathiwat following the explosion of a bomb in a roadside stall this morning just after 8am. Security officials say the bomb had been detonated remotely as the three rangers were patrolling past the stall. The stall was under construction at the time.

The bomb was encased in a cooking gas cylinder located under the stall. It critically injured the three rangers who were on foot patrol in the Ban Buerawae village of the Bacho district. The explosion completely destroyed the incomplete roadside stall leaving a 30 centimetre crater in the ground.

The rangers’ blood-stained bullet-proof vests and helmets were scattered around the scene of the explosion. The three were treated at the scene for shrapnel wounds on their bodies and legs before being rushed to nearby hospitals.

At this stage security officials are blaming the ongoing insurgency for the attack.