12 feared dead as huge bomb rips through central Bangkok

At least 12 people were feared killed and dozens others injured in a huge bomb blast in central Bangkok's commercial hub on Monday.

The bomb exploded outside a religious shrine in central Bangkok late Monday.

Body parts were scattered across the street after the bomb went off outside the Erawan Shrine in the downtown Chidlom district of the Thai capital, said an AFP report.

"I can confirm it was a bomb, we can't tell which kind yet, we are checking," national police spokesman Lietenant General Prawut Thavornsiri told AFP.

BBC says there is a massive amount of damage and a crater that indicates this could be a bomb. The BBC puts casualties as 12, with over 20 injured.

The Independent quoted local media as saying that the blast happened in Ratchaprasong, a road intersection and shopping district near the Erawan Shrine.

Photos posted online showed car windows smashed and debris littering the streets as the area was cordoned off by emergency services.