| 2012 Southern Thailand bombings | |
|---|---|
| Part of the South Thailand insurgency | |
 | |
| Location | Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand |
| Date | 31 March 2012 (UTC+7) |
| Target | Various |
Attack type | Multiple vehicle bombings |
| Deaths | 16 |
| Injured | 321 estimated |
| Perpetrators | possibly Pattani insurgents |
The 2012 Southern Thailand bombings were a series of bombings that took place in Yala, Yala Province and in Hat Yai, Songkhla Province, on 31 March 2012.
The first attack involved a truck bomb that ripped through a busy shopping district in Yala. About 20 minutes later, a second bomb planted in a motorcycle exploded as rescuers convened at the site of the original bombing. [1] Later, a third explosion from a device placed in a car set fire to nearby buildings. About 11 people were killed and 110 wounded by the blasts, with the second explosion causing a majority of casualties. [2]
Following the bombings in Songkhla, an explosion in the basement Lee Gardens Plaza Hotel damaged that building and an adjacent McDonald's in Hat Yai, killing at least four and leaving 416 wounded, mainly from smoke inhalation. It was first reported to be the cause of a gas leak but later was attributed to a car bomb. The bombing was regarded by some sources as an escalation in the insurgency because its target was a hotel popular with tourists from Malaysia and Singapore. [3]
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