Twin blasts rock town in southern Thailand injuring one villager

Two explosions rocked a town, injuring one villager in a suspected terrorist attack in southern Thailand.

The bombs were detonated along a road in Narathiwat province at around 11 am on July 31.

Drone footage shows the crater formed by an explosion on the pavement.

Cho Airong police officers said the incident occurred while cops were on their way to raid the house of a local drug suspect.

No police were harmed, but a villager, Naroodin Doloh, 49, suffered minor injuries while trying to take cover.

Police Colonel Wisan, superintendent of Cho Airong Police Station, said: 'We speculate that insurgents aimed to sow fear by ambushing the investigation officers while they were passing through this spot after completing their search mission.

'Fortunately, the circuit for the explosions malfunctioned, and injury to our officers was averted.'

The first explosion created a seven-foot-wide hole about three metres deep on the road. It was believed to have been planted by digging under the asphalt.

The second explosion occurred about 30 feet away, and the bomb appeared to have been planted under the base of a tree on the roadside.

Authorities said they were still unable to determine the type of container used for the explosions or the equipment used to detonate them.

The area has been cordoned off while explosive ordnance teams were conducting inspections.

Islamic separatist terror attacks target the three southernmost provinces of Thailand - Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat - next to the border with Mulsim neighbors Malaysia. Thai state employees and infrastructure are often hit while attacks on civilians are rare.

Officials believe the conflict dates to a deal in 1909 that the British Empire struck to incorporate the Muslim region into the Siamese mainland.

The region's culture is more similar to Malaysia and dramatically different to Buddhist Thais causing decades of tension that lead to the emergence of separatist groups fighting for independence in the 1960s.

The struggle has continued ever since with more than 7,344 people killed and 13,641 injured between January 2004 and March 2022.

The British Foreign & Commonwealth Office warns against all but essential travel to the region while Canada's government warns its nationals to 'avoid all travel' to the three provinces.