Bangkok bombing: Thai police safely deactivate two more bombs after deadly blast

Police in the Thai capital had been searching for other explosive devices after a large explosion near the Erawan shrine

The explosion was near the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok (Group Volunteer Rescue Thailand)

Thai police have reportedly deactivated two more bombs after a large explosion hit Bangkok, amid fears more have been planted around the city.

At least 27 people died in the blast shortly after 7pm local time today at the Erawan shrine, and almost 80 more have been injured.

The Bangkok Post reported that another device was found and safely removed by a bomb disposal team about an hour later.

Officers and emergency services are still at the scene, where witnesses reported bodies covered in sheets and body parts strewn on the ground between burning vehicles.

"We are now looking for another two to three bombs as we have found one suspicious object," national police chief Prawut Thawornsiri told Reuters.

"There could be another explosion, so we have blocked off the crime scene and are asking bystanders to move back."

Another device was reportedly defused shortly his comments.

Police believe the first bomb may have been attached to a motorbike parked outside the entrance to the shrine area.

Motorcycles lie on the street at the scene of a bomb attack near Erawan Shrine, central Bangkok, Thailand, 17 August 2015. (EPA)

"All I can say now is there has been an explosion in central Bangkok involving a motorcycle bomb," deputy national police chief Aek Angsananond said.

The holy site, popular with Hindu and Buddhist worshippers as well as tourists, in the busy Chindlom district.

It is near the Ratchaprasong intersection, lined with shopping centres and a five-star hotel, which has been at the centre of political protests in recent years.