Video: Thai PBS/ Youtube

Thai 111.jpg
Thai police at the scene in the hotel room. Photo: The Thaiger.com

According to a Thai police representative cited by Thai PBS, the group of Vietnamese guests is believed to have died from poisoning, though other causes are still being investigated. Some local news agencies reported that the victims might have been poisoned with cyanide.

Police suspect the victims died within the 24 hours prior to their discovery, possibly around 1:55 PM on July 15. Notably, the hotel room door was locked from the inside when housekeeping staff attempted to clean the room on the afternoon of July 16. Autopsies are being conducted to determine what the victims might have consumed.

Security camera footage from the Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel captured Mrs. Nguyen Thi Phuong at 2:04 PM on July 15 (local time), pulling a pink suitcase and heading towards a room on the 5th floor. One minute later, Mr. Pham Thanh Hong, another member of the group, was seen pulling a black suitcase into the same room.

Untitled.jpg
The Vietnamese tourist group appears on the hotel's security camera footage. Photo: Thai PBS

At 2:09 PM, the camera recorded Mrs. Nguyen Thi Phuong Lan, wearing a pink shirt, pulling a suitcase into the room. Just over 10 seconds later, Mr. Hung Dang Van, carrying a red backpack and a gray suitcase, entered the room.

About two minutes later, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Phuong, Pham Thanh Hong, Hung Dang Van, and tourist Sherine Chong exited the room, leaving Mrs. Nguyen Thi Phuong Lan alone inside.

From 2:13 to 2:15 PM, Mr. Hung Dang Van repeatedly entered and exited the room. Subsequently, Mr. Dinh Tran Phu, another member of the group, was seen bringing luggage into the room. From 2:17 PM onwards, the group, including Dinh Tran Phu, Nguyen Thi Phuong, Pham Thanh Hong, Hung Dang Van, and Sherine Chong, entered the room and did not reappear on surveillance cameras.

Preliminary information indicates that investigators found six glasses in the room, each with a small amount of white powder residue at the bottom. The food in the room had not been touched. In the bathroom, police discovered some tea, energy drinks, and honey.

Tuan Tran