Three police, six civilians injured in Narathiwat bomb attack

Three policemen and six civilians were injured when insurgents detonated a homemade bomb apparently targeting police officers at a teashop in Narathiwat’s Yi Ngor district on Thursday morning.

Four villagers were seriously injured, while the police officers and two other villagers sustained minor injuries.

The Yi Ngor Police Station was alerted at 8.50am following the explosion at a teashop in Moo 1 village, Tambon Yi Ngor, Yi Ngor district.

Police said the insurgents had packed explosives into a half-sawn gas cylinder and hidden it inside a rubbish bin beside the teashop. The device was detonated remotely.

Investigators believe the attackers intended to harm police officers who often stopped by the shop for morning tea. However, the injured policemen were seated further inside the shop, while villagers sitting nearer the front bore the brunt of the blast. Some of the injured civilians were sitting in a pickup truck parked nearby.

The injured officers were identified as Pol Capt Sakariya Lokoh, deputy inspector for crime suppression at Yi Ngor Police Station; Pol L/Cpl Adul Dohloh; and Pol L/Cpl Amin Mading.

The six injured civilians were identified as Asan, 35; Alaman, 33; Rohmoh, 79; Suneeya, 65; Panida, 30; and Muhammadsaifu, 29.

All nine victims were rushed to Yi Ngor District Hospital. Asan, Alaman, Rohmoh, and Muhammadsaifu were later transferred to Narathiwat Hospital in critical condition, while the remaining victims were discharged after treatment.