A bomb has exploded close to a shrine in the centre of Thailand's capital, Bangkok, killing at least 12 people and injuring about 20.
A second bomb has been found in the area and made safe, officials say.
No-one has yet said they carried out the attack, which took place close to the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok's central Chidlom district.
The shrine is a major tourist attraction and the Thai government said the attack was aimed at foreigners.
Local media report that tourists may be among the casualties.
Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwong said: "It was a TNT bomb... the people who did it targeted foreigners and to damage tourism and the economy."
The Nation TV channel quoted Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha as saying the government would set up a "war room" to coordinate its response.
The explosion occurred at about 19:00 local time (12:00 GMT). Some reports said the bomb had been on a motorcycle, others that it was tied to an electricity pole.
The BBC's Jonathan Head, who is at the scene, says there is a huge amount of chaos, with body parts scattered everywhere.
He says this is a very well-known shrine in the centre of Bangkok, next to a five-star hotel, and that people around the shrine were hit by the full force of the blast.
Another, Richard Srikureja, said: "I was walking to a mall right next to the shrine and I heard a huge blast and people were just sprinting everywhere. It was total chaos and it's right in the middle of Bangkok."
Police say the blast may have been caused by a motorcycle bombAt least 20 people were injured in the blast
The shrine is to the Hindu god Brahma, but is also visited by thousands of Buddhists each day. There are also three major shopping centres nearby.
National police spokesman Lt Gen Prawut Thavornsiri told Agence France-Presse news agency: "I can confirm it was a bomb, we can't tell which kind yet, we are checking."
The explosion was on the Ratchaprasong intersection, which has been the centre of political demonstrations in recent years.
Our correspondent says bomb attacks in Bangkok are extremely rare.
There has been a Muslim insurgency,but this has been largely confined to the south of the country and attacks rarely take place elsewhere.
But Bangkok has seen a decade of sometimes violent rivalry between political factions.
Greek opposition party refuses to back PM in any confidence vote
Greece's socialist PASOKparty joined the main opposition on Sunday in saying it would not back Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras if he calls a confidence vote following a rebellion in the governing party over a new bailout deal.
By contrast, Tsipras suffered the biggest rebellion yet among anti-bailout lawmakers from his leftist Syriza party, forcing him to consider a confidence vote that would pave the way for early elections if he loses.
PASOK made clear that while it had backed the government over bailout for the sake of saving Greece from financial ruin, that support would not extend to any confidence vote in the coming weeks.
The party blamed Tsipras and Panos Kammenos, who leads the minority partner in the coalition government, for the fact that Greece had to take yet another bailout with tough austerity and reform conditions demanded by the euro zone and IMF.
