Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) A huge bomb explosion that appeared to target a popular Hindu shrine in central Bangkok killed at least 22 people Monday and wounded about 120 more, authorities said.

Twelve victims died at the scene, and the others died later at area hospitals, officials said.

"It was like this huge gust of wind and debris flying through you," recalled Sanjeev Vyas, a DJ from Mumbai, India, who was in the middle of the fray. "... And then I see bodies everywhere, there are cars on fire, there are bikes everywhere. People are screaming."

Police spokesman Lt. Gen. Prawut Thavornsiri Tuesday morning told Channel 3 that at least 22 people had been killed, marking the latest incremental uptick in the death toll.

Destroyed motorcycles lie among debris after a blast near a popular Hindu shrine in Bangkok on August 17.

Destroyed motorcycles lie among debris after a blast near a popular Hindu shrine in Bangkok on August 17.

A bomb disposal team member suits up in the middle of an intersection after the blast.

A bomb disposal team member suits up in the middle of an intersection after the blast.

Police enter the Erawan Shrine after the explosion. The shrine sits at a busy intersection, with the city's Skytrain rumbling nearly overhead.

Police enter the Erawan Shrine after the explosion. The shrine sits at a busy intersection, with the city's Skytrain rumbling nearly overhead.

Police take photos at the scene of the explosion August 17. A bomb exploded in front of the shrine shortly after 7 p.m., a news report said.

Police take photos at the scene of the explosion August 17. A bomb exploded in front of the shrine shortly after 7 p.m., a news report said.

Rescue workers carry the body of a victim away from the scene.

Rescue workers carry the body of a victim away from the scene.

Policemen inspect the cordoned-off site of a bomb blast in the heart of Bangkok's tourist and commercial center on Monday, August 17.

Policemen inspect the cordoned-off site of a bomb blast in the heart of Bangkok's tourist and commercial center on Monday, August 17.

The explosion took place at the busy Rajprasong intersection near the Erawan shrine but also international hotels and shopping malls.

The explosion took place at the busy Rajprasong intersection near the Erawan shrine but also international hotels and shopping malls.

Police and soldiers wash the street in front of the Erawan Shrine.

Police and soldiers wash the street in front of the Erawan Shrine.

Thailand's prime minister on Tuesday promised that authorities would quickly track down those responsible for the central Bangkok bombing.

Thailand's prime minister on Tuesday promised that authorities would quickly track down those responsible for the central Bangkok bombing.

Police investigators work near the statue of Phra Phrom, the Thai interpretation of the Hindu god Brahma, at the Erawan Shrine the morning after the explosion.

Police investigators work near the statue of Phra Phrom, the Thai interpretation of the Hindu god Brahma, at the Erawan Shrine the morning after the explosion.

A Thai lights a candle near the Erawan Shrine the day after the explosion in Bangkok.

A Thai lights a candle near the Erawan Shrine the day after the explosion in Bangkok.

Family members gather around the coffin of a bombing victim on Tuesday, August 18. The death toll from the bomb blast in the Thai capital stood at 20 with more than 120 wounded, police said.

Family members gather around the coffin of a bombing victim on Tuesday, August 18. The death toll from the bomb blast in the Thai capital stood at 20 with more than 120 wounded, police said.

Authorities have put down fresh cement where a bench used to stand and where they believe the bomb detonated. Thai authorities are searching for a suspect who was seen placing a backpack underneath the bench moments before the explosion.

Authorities have put down fresh cement where a bench used to stand and where they believe the bomb detonated. Thai authorities are searching for a suspect who was seen placing a backpack underneath the bench moments before the explosion.

Workers build a dam from sandbags on August 19 as they attempt to seal off a canal to search for remnants of an explosive device that was thrown into the canal in Bangkok on Tuesday. Police spokesman Lt. Gen. Prawut Thavornsiri said Tuesday's blast at the Sathorn Pier was caused by a pipe bomb and could be related to the deadly explosion at a popular shrine in central Bangkok on Monday.

Workers build a dam from sandbags on August 19 as they attempt to seal off a canal to search for remnants of an explosive device that was thrown into the canal in Bangkok on Tuesday. Police spokesman Lt. Gen. Prawut Thavornsiri said Tuesday's blast at the Sathorn Pier was caused by a pipe bomb and could be related to the deadly explosion at a popular shrine in central Bangkok on Monday.

Workers make repairs to the buildings in and around the Erawan Shrine on August 19.

Workers make repairs to the buildings in and around the Erawan Shrine on August 19.

Damage from the blast is seen on the statue of Phra Phrom at the Erawan Shrine on August 19.

Damage from the blast is seen on the statue of Phra Phrom at the Erawan Shrine on August 19.

Messages and flowers for victims killed in the bomb blast are displayed outside the shrine.

Messages and flowers for victims killed in the bomb blast are displayed outside the shrine.

This image released by the Royal Thai Police on August 19 shows a detailed sketch of the main suspect in the bombing.

This image released by the Royal Thai Police on August 19 shows a detailed sketch of the main suspect in the bombing.

At least 10 people are believed to have taken part in the bombing, but the attack is unlikely to be linked to international terrorist groups, Thai authorities say.

At least 10 people are believed to have taken part in the bombing, but the attack is unlikely to be linked to international terrorist groups, Thai authorities say.

Foreigners offer prayers at the reopened Erawan shrine. Authorities say the perpatrators targeted busy places popular with tourists to damage the economy.

Foreigners offer prayers at the reopened Erawan shrine. Authorities say the perpatrators targeted busy places popular with tourists to damage the economy.

Family members of Neoh Hock Guan ,a Malaysian survivor of the Bangkok bomb blast, break down as they pay their last respects. Five out of the seven Neoh family members traveling to Bangkok together were killed in the blast.

Family members of Neoh Hock Guan ,a Malaysian survivor of the Bangkok bomb blast, break down as they pay their last respects. Five out of the seven Neoh family members traveling to Bangkok together were killed in the blast.

A coffin of one of the 20 victims killed in the blast is sent home on Wednesday, August 19, 2015.

A coffin of one of the 20 victims killed in the blast is sent home on Wednesday, August 19, 2015.

Monks pray at the Erawan Shrine on August 24 to commemorate the victims of the bombing.

Monks pray at the Erawan Shrine on August 24 to commemorate the victims of the bombing.

Visitors gather around the base of the Erawan Shrine on August 24, 2015 to commemorate the victims of the bomb attack in Bangkok, Thailand.

Visitors gather around the base of the Erawan Shrine on August 24, 2015 to commemorate the victims of the bomb attack in Bangkok, Thailand.

Thai authorities unveiled the repaired centerpiece of the Erawan Shrine on September 4, 2015 to restore confidence among Bangkok's tourism and business communities almost three weeks after a deadly bomb attack on August 17.

Thai authorities unveiled the repaired centerpiece of the Erawan Shrine on September 4, 2015 to restore confidence among Bangkok's tourism and business communities almost three weeks after a deadly bomb attack on August 17.

Thai security officials escort bombing suspect Yusufu Meerailee, arrested last week near the Cambodian border, as he is transferred from military to police custody at the metropolitan police headquarters in Bangkok on September 7, 2015.

Thai security officials escort bombing suspect Yusufu Meerailee, arrested last week near the Cambodian border, as he is transferred from military to police custody at the metropolitan police headquarters in Bangkok on September 7, 2015.

Foreigners are among the casualties, with the Erawan Emergency Center saying that a Filipino and Chinese citizen were among those killed.

National police Chief Somyot Pumpanmuang said on state TV that Chinese tourists who had traveled to Thailand from the Philippines had been killed. The Chinese Embassy in Bangkok later confirmed the report, telling China's state-run Xinhua that three nationals had died in the blast, while another 15 Chinese tourists were injured, some seriously.

Hong Kong's Immigration Department reported that three residents were among the injured.

It's too early to say who orchestrated the attack, Somyot said there had been warnings about possible attacks, if not exactly when or where they might occur.

Suspicious items turn out to be garbage bags

The device that exploded was a pipe bomb wrapped in white cloth, Somyot said, according to the state news agency. Police earlier described it as a 3-kilogram "improvised device."

The Thai police chief told reporters the bomb came from a motorcycle, though the Bangkok Post reported it was fastened to a utility pole.

Police have not officially stated whether they believe the bomb had a specific target.

Whatever its intentions, the damage was undeniable. Steve Herman, a correspondent and bureau chief for Voice of America, said he thought it was thunder when the explosion first went off.

He saw six bodies under sheets inside the shrine and one outside of it, Herman said.

Another reporter, The New York Times' Thomas Fuller, said body parts were scattered around the area. He estimated that several hundred military and police officials, some of them using dogs, were scouring the scene for more bombs.

Police initially sealed off the scene near the popular Erawan Shrine because, they said at the time, a second bomb in the area remained active and needed to be defused. Bomb squad members in blast suits responded, and an officer announced over a loudspeaker, "The situation is still not safe. Please all stay back. There might be another bomb in the area."

What happened, BKK? A photo posted by @ee_hoong on Aug 17, 2015 at 5:47am PDT

But Somyot said later the suspicious items were not bombs.

"They are just garbage bags," he said. "Our (explosives) team is still working at the site, and we will close down the traffic around the area until noon tomorrow."

Maj. Gen. Sirwara Rangsribhramnakul said security was subsequently tightened throughout the city. Asked how many security forces had been deployed, he replied, "As much as we have."

Wrecked motorcycles seen at Rajprasong Intersection near Erawan Shrine #BangkokBlast pic.twitter.com/miUYd0z35U — Kochakorn (@KochaOlarn) August 17, 2015

Busy area for tourists, commuters

The blast didn't cause immediate, rampant panic, as some bystanders were milling around peacefully and a family apparently unaware of the explosion was enjoying a meal at a nearby McDonald's, freelance journalist Adam Ramsey said.

Vyas, the Indian DJ, said he initially didn't know what to think of the explosion -- thinking, as his ears were ringing, that it seemed like a Hollywood movie or maybe a major car wreck.

"But then I was like, yeah, this has to be a bomb because of the utter scale of devastation," he said early Tuesday. "I could see it in front of my eyes."

With school out and many in the city commuting home at the time of the blast, locals were among those caught up in the mayhem. So, too, were tourists there to visit the shrine, shop in the mall or stay in the many area hotels.

"There was traffic, everybody was honking," Vyas recalled. "It (was) utter chaos and mayhem."

Along with hotels, there are numerous shopping centers in the area, Google Maps shows, including the Platinum Fashion Mall and Central World, reportedly one of the largest shopping malls in the world. The city's Skytrain rumbles nearly overhead.

The area was the target of another bombing in February when two explosive devices detonated near the entrance of a luxury shopping mall, Siam Paragon, 2013's most Instagrammed location in the world. The mall is just over a block away from the shrine. No one was injured in that blast.

Though Buddhism is the predominant religion in Thailand, there are many Hindu shrines in Bangkok, and the Erawan Shrine is the best known among them, according to an English-language website providing news and tourism information about the country.

Streams of people pay respects at the shrine from early morning until late at night. Thais and foreign visitors make ceremonial offerings, ranging from floral garlands and fruits to teakwood elephants in the hope their wishes will be fulfilled, according to another tourist site

The shrine houses a golden statue of Phra Phrom, the Thai representation of Brahma, the Hindu god of creation. The shrine is so revered that Thanakorn Pakdeepol, a mentally ill man, was beaten to death in 2006 by two bystanders after they witnessed him vandalizing the statue.

Thousands of worshipers visit the site each day, praying for everything from good health to sports results. They light incense sticks and wai (bow slightly with palms pressed together) to each of the four faces of the statue. For extra luck, worshipers pay respect and money to the shrine's Thai dancers.