Police say at least six people of Vietnamese origin have been found dead in a luxury hotel room in the Thai capital Bangkok.
According to the government, some of those killed were Vietnamese Americans.
Local media initially reported a shooting at the five-star Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok hotel, but police dismissed the reports and said there was no evidence of gunfire.
Local media are now reporting that police believe the victims may have been poisoned, however this has not been confirmed and the cause of death remains unexplained.
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin – who visited the scene – has ordered an investigation into the deaths, saying he did not want the incident to affect the country’s image or impact tourism.
He said police suspected the victims had been dead for 24 hours and would conduct autopsies to determine whether they had eaten anything.
Police suspect there may be a seventh Vietnamese person but have not yet found him, he added.
Earlier, Thai Public Radio quoted police as saying three women and three men were killed.
Police Major General Thiradech Thamsuthee told the television station that initial investigations showed the victims were poisoned.
“There were no signs of a struggle. Tea and coffee cups were found to have been used,” PBS reported.
Police were called to the hotel at around 5:30 p.m. local time after receiving a call from hotel staff.
