Three people were killed and dozens injured in a bomb attack at a festival in Thailand

At least three people have been killed and dozens injured after an explosive device was thrown into the crowd at an event in Thailand.

The attack happened shortly before midnight local time on Friday at the Red Cross Doi Loyfa parade, which is held annually in Umphang district in northern Tak province.

Two suspects are in custody, but no charges have been filed, the Associated Press and local media reported, citing Thai police.

About 48 people were injured, six of them were seriously injured, the police said.

Police were alerted to the incident at 23:30 local time (16:30 GMT) on Friday.

In a statement, the Umphang rescue team said that a firecracker was thrown and fell to the ground where they were dancing.

The other injured were taken to a nearby hospital, it added.

Several reports suggest that the explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device (IED).

Photos taken afterwards, shared by the rescue team, show debris strewn on the ground at the festival site with lights out.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra expressed his condolences to the families of those killed and injured in the bombing of the X pole.

He said he has assigned the police and security agencies to investigate the cause of the fire and help those involved. He also ordered to increase the number of police officers to monitor all the events of the festival.

According to the Bangkok Post, between 8,000 and 9,000 people attended the week-long celebration this year, and the attack happened the night before the event.

Umphang is the southernmost district in Thailand’s northern Tak province, which shares a border with Myanmar to the west.