A bomb exploded outside a religious shrine in central Bangkok late Monday, killing at least two people and wounding many more, according to an AFP reporter at the scene.

   Body parts were scattered across the street after the explosion outside the Erawan Shrine in the downtown Chidlom district of the Thai capital.

   "I can confirm it was a bomb, we can't tell which kind yet, we are checking," national police spokesman Lietenant General Prawut Thavornsiri told AFP.

   The Erawan is an enormously popular shrine to the Hindu god Brahma but is visited by thousands of Buddhist devotees every day.

   It is located on a main road through Bangkok's commercial hub and is surrounded by three major shopping malls.

   Police and ambulances rushed to the scene after the bomb went off around 7pm local time. (AFP)