Thailand's explosion wounds at least 24

At least 24 people have been wounded after a bomb exploded on a crowded market in Thailand, according to authorities.

The attack on Monday morning was in front of the market in Yala town in troubled south. The bomb was hidden in a motorcycle.

The southern region, comprised of the three provinces of Yala, Pattani, Narathiwas, and some parts of Songkla, was an autonomous Malay Muslim sultanate before predominantly Buddhist Thailand annexed it in 1902.

The South has been the scene of decades-long tensions ever since, but attacks by suspected separatists have risen sharply.

More than 3,900 people, including Buddhists and Muslims from different walks of life, have lost their lives in the violence over the past five years.