Pattani: A near-tragedy unfolded when bomb disposal experts were defusing a bomb during the opening ceremony of the Pattani Games, as another bomb unexpectedly exploded in front of a large crowd.
According to Thai News Agency, the incident began at 4:00 PM when Pol. Col. Sombat Soonhua, Superintendent of Thung Yang Daeng Police Station, received a report about a suspicious object resembling an explosive device. The object was located at the sports field of the Phithen Subdistrict Administrative Organization, Moo 1, Ban Kha Ling, Phithen Subdistrict, Thung Yang Daeng District, Pattani Province. This site was hosting the opening ceremony of the 2026 Phithen Games. An explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team was immediately dispatched to investigate.
Upon arrival, officers encountered a large gathering of people and youth participating in the ceremony. Near the stadium entrance, they discovered an improvised time-delay bomb weighing approximately 2 kilograms in a patch of grass in a nearby rubber plantation. This bomb, lacking shrapnel, was successfully defused and removed for examination and evidence collection.
However, as officials were clearing the area and after the ceremony concluded, a second explosion occurred approximately 50 meters from the initial discovery site. The loud explosion prompted officials to seek cover and caused panic among the public and children inside the stadium, who fled to safety.
Fortunately, the second explosion resulted in no injuries or fatalities. Authorities immediately cordoned off the area to investigate the site of the explosion. They found that the second bomb was similar in design to the first and collected bomb fragments as evidence. Forensic officers gathered evidence, reviewed CCTV footage, and interviewed witnesses to expedite the search for the perpetrators.
Security forces initially suspect that insurgent groups in the area orchestrated the incident to incite fear and unrest. It is believed that the attackers meticulously planned the operation, exploiting the large gathering to plant the bomb undetected within the event area.