Six foreign nationals have been found dead in the same luxury hotel in downtown Bangkok on Tuesday.
Thai police say poisoning is suspected after the bodies of two Vietnamese Americans and four Vietnamese nationals were found at the five-star Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel.
Investigators said the three male and three female bodies were foaming at the mouth.
Police are searching for a seventh person included in the hotel booking.
Bangkok police chief Lt Gen Thiti Sangsawang said the victims had booked several rooms at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel under seven names. The victims checked in at two separate times after arriving on Saturday and Sunday.
Some were staying on a different floor from the room where they were found dead. Five bodies were found inside a room and one outside.
Initial reports from local media suggested a shooting had been involved. However, investigators dismissed the claim, saying there was no evidence of gunfire.
The residents of the room where the bodies had been found were supposed to have checked out earlier in the day and their luggage had even already been packed, Lt Gen Sangsawang said.
A maid later discovered the bodies when she went to the room after they failed to check out and found it locked from the inside.
The police chief added that while there were no signs of a struggle in the room, food ordered earlier from room service was left uneaten - but the drinks had been consumed.
Authorities were called to The Grand Hyatt Erawan, which has over 350 rooms and is located in a popular tourist district in the Thai capital known for luxury shopping and restaurants, at around 5.30pm.
The hotel has not yet commented publicly on the incident.
“This was not self harm, but someone caused the deaths,” said Mr Sangsawang, as he said that police were looking for a seventh person connected with the group.
“We are tracing every step since they got off the plane.”
Thai prime minister Srettha Thavisin, who visited the hotel late on Tuesday with senior police officials, ordered a swift investigation.
“The prime minister has ordered all agencies to urgently take action to avoid impact on tourism,” the government said in a statement.
Tourism serves as a key driver for Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy, with the government expecting 35 million foreign arrivals this year after 28 million visited the country in 2023, spending 1.2 trillion baht – about £26bn.
The tourism sector was shaken last October by a shooting spree at a luxury shopping mall, close to the Hyatt, in which two foreigners were killed, prompting government measures to ramp up security at popular locations.
The US State Department was “closely monitoring the situation and (we) stand ready to provide consular assistance”, a spokesperson said, referring questions on the circumstances of the deaths to local authorities.
The Vietnamese embassy in Bangkok did not respond to calls from Reuters news agency.
With reporting from AP and Reuters.
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