Poisoning Suspected in Death of 6 Americans, 1 Vietnamese in Bangkok: NPR

BANGKOK – The bodies of six people were found Tuesday at a luxury hotel in downtown Bangkok, police and officials said, and their deaths may have been caused by poisoning.

Bangkok police chief Lt. Gen. Thiti Sangsawang said the dead were two Vietnamese nationals and four Vietnamese, adding that the dead were three men and three women. An officer from the Lumpini police station, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information, said investigators said the bodies were foaming at the mouth.

The victims had booked several rooms at the Grand Hyatt Erawan under seven names, some of them on a different floor from the room where they were found dead, Thiti said at a news conference at the hotel. Police are still searching for the seventh person listed in the booking, Thiti said.

He said there were no signs of a struggle. He added that the occupants of the room where the bodies were found were supposed to leave the room earlier on Tuesday and their luggage had already been packed. Thete said the bodies were discovered by a maid when she went to the room after they failed to leave and found it locked from the inside.

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Thiti said there was food ordered from room service that was not eaten, but drinks were consumed. He would not confirm the cause of death, but said the deaths appeared to have occurred 24 hours before police arrived at the scene Tuesday evening after being contacted by hotel staff.

Prime Minister Sritha Thavisin went to the hotel in the evening, later telling reporters that the incident was neither a robbery nor a random assault, and that it should not affect Thailand’s lucrative tourism industry.

Pending autopsy results, Sreetha said: “Our hypothesis is that they ingested something that led to their death.”

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said US officials were aware of reports that two US citizens were killed in Bangkok.

“We offer our sincere condolences to the families of the victims. We are closely monitoring the situation and stand ready to provide consular assistance to these families,” he told reporters in Washington.