Steve Herman, VOA’s Southeast Asia Correspondent and cameraman Zinlat Aung were one of the first news teams on the scene to report on the explosion that hit the Erawan Shrine near the commercial Ratchaprasong intersection in Bangkok 7:00 pm local time Monday. They were quickly joined at the site by VOA Asia Coverage Editor Barry Newhouse.
Since breaking the news via twitter many media outlets including BBC, CBS Radio, CBS TV, CNN and ABC have picked up VOA’s on-the-scene coverage using Periscope, a live video streaming app. "We have seen six bodies under sheets (near) the Erawan shrine," VOA correspondent Steve Herman said from the scene. The site of the explosion is known to be a popular tourist attraction, with upscale stores and high-end hotels. At that time of the evening, when the explosion took place, there would be approximately one hundred people inside that shrine, Herman said.
Herman and Newhouse have been filing reports and providing constant updates and have since been interviewed by a number of media outlets including the BBC, CBS and CNN.
VOA will continue to provide up-to-date information on the bomb blast at voanews.com.