A powerful car bomb exploded outside a popular hotel in Thailand's majority-Muslim province of Pattani, killing two people and injuring 14 others including a Thai senator, media dpa quoted reports as saying Sunday. The bomb was detonated at 7:45 pm local time Saturday in a car parked 15 metres away from the lobby of the CS Pattani Hotel, which is popular among visiting government officials, tourists and journalists, said The Nation newspaper. A hotel security guard and driver were killed in the blast which also damaged the lobby, shattered the hotel's windows and left 14 people injured including Thai Senator Anusart Suwanmongkol, owner of the hotel. Two smaller bombs were detonated at 8:00 pm in the hotel's ground floor restroom, and another outside the coffee shop, but caused little damage and no injuries.
