World War II-era bomb rips through scrap shop in Thailand, killing 7

Workers at a scrap shop in Thailand's capital on Wednesday accidentally detonated a large bomb believed to have been dropped during World War II, killing at least seven people and injuring 19 others, police said.

Police bomb squad chief Kamthorn Auicharoen said construction workers found the bomb buried at a building site and sold it to the scrap shop in northern Bangkok. He said workers at the shop were using a gas-powered thermal cutter to take the bomb apart when it exploded.

The massive blast ripped apart the scrap shop in Bangkok's Lad Plakao neighborhood and damaged nearby houses.

"We believe the bomb dates back to World War Two and weighed about 227 kg (500 pounds),” Kamthorn said. “As they probably did not know (what to do), they used a blow torch to try to cut open the bomb...The explosion created a three-meter deep crater."

Pools of blood and body parts were scattered on the floor of the warehouse.

Construction workers on another project found a similar bomb in a different area of Bangkok just this past Saturday, but it was safely handed over to police explosive experts.

Camera footage showed just the shell of the building remained, its interior a mesh of twisted metal as firefighters doused flames and burning embers.

Bangkok was bombed by U.S. and British planes during World War II, when it was occupied by Japanese forces and served as a hub for their campaign in Southeast Asian. Buried bombs from the era continue to be found from time to time in other major Asian cities.

Another World War II-era bomb was found in Hong Kong in February. It was reported to police and safely defused.

Wire services