BREAKING: A bomb went off Bangkok Killed 27 and two more unexploded bombs were found in the area.

BANGKOK: A bomb exploded outside a religious shrine in central Bangkok on Monday evening, killing scores of people. At least 16 people were killed in the incident, according to Thai police. Meanwhile, local media put the death toll at 27, with more than 80 injured.

The blast occurred about 6.30pm when the streetside shrine was packed with worshippers and tourists. Body parts were scattered across the street after the explosion outside the Erawan Shrine in the downtown Chidlom district of the Thai capital.

The first explosive device went off near a Skytrain station. A second one was found near the Erawan Shrine and the bomb squad was deactivating a third as of 9pm. At 10.30pm, all the explosives found were defused, according to a Channel NewsAsia reporter.

Thailand's Defence Minister said the bomb had targeted "foreigners" to try to damage the vital tourist industry. "It was a TNT bomb... the people who did it targeted foreigners and to damage tourism and the economy," Prawit Wongsuwong said. The Thai police chief said the first blast was equivalent to 200 pounds of TNT, according to local media reports.

Local television channel The Nation quoted Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha as saying the government will set up a "war room" to coordinate the response to the blast.

Thai authorities said they will set up security checkpoints at major attractions in the city. However, train services in the city will operate normally, while 438 schools will be closed on Tuesday. No state of emergency was issued in the city.

There were foreigners among the casualties, reported Reuters, citing The Nation. Most of the injured were tourists from China and Taiwan, the report added. Local media also said a nearby hospital was scrambling for Chinese translators, adding that some schools in the area will be closed on Tuesday.