Four soldiers were injured when suspected terrorists planted an explosive device at a barracks during the Songkran festival in Thailand.

The explosion was detonated near the concrete wall of the sleeping quarters of Ranger Company 4503 at Wat Chairattanaram in Narathiwat in the conflict-ridden south of the country on April 13 at 6.40 am.

Police Major General Maitree Santayakul, commander of Narathiwat Provincial Police, led officers, a bomb disposal team, forensic police, and soldiers to the scene of the blast.

Authorities used sniffer dogs to search for suspicious items and turned off the signal jammer to clear the area safely.  

They found that two blocks of temple walls were damaged by the explosion across a stretch of around 33ft (10m), along with the soldiers' sleeping quarters, armoury, and kitchen, which sustained structural and roof damage.  

Parts of the improvised explosive device were found within a 328ft (100m) radius.  

On the opposite side, three houses were also damaged by the blast, affecting windows, doors, awnings, ceilings, and roofs.

Four volunteer rangers were injured with symptoms including chest tightness, rib pain, and shrapnel wounds to the back, and were taken to Rangae Hospital.  

Two of them were transferred to Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra Hospital, while the other two were discharged.

Police said that the suspect was seen riding a motorcycle carrying an explosive device installed in a 110-pound (50-kilogramme) cooking gas cylinder with a timer detonation.  

The device was concealed in a white fertiliser sack to avoid detection by locals and authorities.  

Another suspect followed on a separate motorcycle.  

The first rider parked the sidecar motorcycle near the wall, then sat on the back of the second motorcycle and escaped along the same route.  

The device was detonated a few minutes later.

Army Region 4 commander Lieutenant General Paisal Noosang also inspected the scene to survey the damage and ordered officers to increase security measures to protect locals.  

He said: ‘We speculated the suspects intend to create a chaotic situation during the Songkran festival.'