The death toll from a powerful car bomb in Thailand has risen to six, with at least 40 others injured, some seriously.
Police say the explosion Thursday occurred outside a hotel in the bar district of Sungai Kolok, a town on the Malaysian border frequented by tourists.
The Narathiwat provincial governor, Pracha Tehrat, said the explosive was unlike others used in the region. Earlier bombs have been smaller, often attached to motorcycles. There has been no claim of responsibility for Thursday's attack, which is believed to be the first car bombing during an ongoing separatist uprising.
Hours before the attack, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra toured the southern provinces and vowed to end separatist violence by cutting off development funding to villages supporting the insurgents. But locals say the plan could backfire by encouraging more support for rebels.
Some information for this report provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.