Six people have been found dead at a luxury hotel in central Bangkok, in what authorities say could be a case of poisoning.
The bodies of three women and three men were found inside a hotel suite on the fifth floor of the Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel by a hotel worker late on Tuesday afternoon.
They were Vietnamese, and two had American citizenship, the Thai prime minister, Srettha Thavisin, said.
It is assumed the six had been dead for at least 24 hours before their bodies were discovered, police said, adding that the room had been locked from the inside, but that the staff member was able to enter through a separate door.
The cause of death is not yet known. However, Srettha said there was no sign of robbery or an attack, adding the cause was “presumably something related to consumption which needs to be investigated”.
Police shared images of hotel food found in the suite, which was still sealed in clingfilm and appeared to be untouched. However, six cups did appear to have been used, police said.
“The food was untouched but all six cups were used. We will check all of it. We could not find anything else around, even on the floor, but we found some kind of powder in the bottom of a cup,” said Metropolitan police bureau commissioner Thiti Saengsawang.
“We need to find out the motives,” he said, adding that the deaths were not the result of suicide, but of a “killing.”
Srettha said he had met the Vietnamese ambassador to discuss the matter and has ordered a swift investigation into the case.
The deceased had been booked to stay at the hotel as a group of seven people, but only five checked in, police said, while six people had been found dead. Police said they were now searching for the seventh individual.
“We are tracing every step since they got off the plane,” Thiti said.
Part of the group were staying on the fifth floor, and were due to check out on Tuesday, while others were staying on the seventh floor and had been due to check out on Monday but did not do so. Images from inside the hotel showed their luggage had been packed up.
The Grand Hyatt Erawan is a five-star hotel in Bangkok’s commercial and diplomatic district.
“The prime minister has ordered all agencies to urgently take action to avoid impact on tourism,” the Thai government said in a statement.
The US state department was “closely monitoring the situation and [we] stand ready to provide consular assistance,” a spokesperson said.
The incident comes at a time when Thailand is trying to boost its tourism industry, which was badly affected by the pandemic and is crucial to the economy.
The tourism sector has previously been shaken by a shooting at a luxury mall in Bangkok last October, in which two foreigners were killed.
