Malaysian injured in Yala bomb explosion

A Malaysian was among those injured in a bomb explosion at Betong, Yala Province in southern Thailand, in which three people were reportedly killed and dozens injured.

A Wisma Putra spokesman told Bernama that the Foreign Ministry is still waiting for a report from the Malaysian Embassy in Thailand on the matter.

"We are still awaiting full details on the identity of the individual. We will update accordingly," the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, Bernama reported that based on the Betong Hospital list, the Malaysian has been identified as 28-year-old Jeemihan who is believed to be of Indian descent while the other victims were Thais.

According to the hospital, 24 people were injured while other sources such as local media reports cited a higher figure of almost 40.

A Betong Hospital employee said four of the injured were in critical condition and were sent by helicopter for treatment at the Yala General Hospital.

Residents said the bomb - believed to have been mounted on a pick-up truck - exploded at 4.45pm local time in an area where there were many tourists.

It went off in front of the Holiday Hill Hotel in Betong, damaging four business premises as well as dozens of cars and motorcycles.

Betong is generally a peaceful town and was not a target of separatist groups earlier.

According to the Betong tourist office, at least 80 percent of the thousands of tourists here are Malaysians who came for entertainment and leisure.