Dead tourists poisoned by cyanide in Bangkok hotel

Thai police have revealed a woman laced tea with cyanide which killed six people - including herself - at an upscale Bangkok hotel.

The six American and Vietnamese tourists found dead at an upscale Bangkok hotel were killed with cyanide — with one of them believed to have poisoned the others over a bad investment, Thai police have revealed.

Traces of the rapid-acting chemical were uncovered during the autopsies and on drinking glasses and a teapot found inside a room at the five-star Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel where the bodies were discovered late Tuesday, police said.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin arrives to the Grand Hyatt Erawan where six people died. Picture: Getty Images

Relatives of the three women and three men told investigators there had been a dispute among the group about debt tied to an investment, Bangkok deputy police chief Noppasin Punsawat said.

A husband and wife who were among the dead had invested about $412,000 (10 million baht) with two of the others to build a hospital in Japan — and they may have been meeting at the hotel to settle the matter, he added.

Chong Sherine is thought to have poisoned herself and five other people. Picture: Supplied

Two of the guests — Chong Sherine, 56, and Dang Hung Van, 55 — both had US passports. The four Vietnamese nationals were identified as Nguyen Thi Phuong Lan, 47; Pham Hong Thanh, 49; Tran Dinh Phu, 37; and Nguyen Thi Phuong, 46.

American-Vietnamese woman Chong Sherine is thought to have poisoned herself and the five others.

Punsawat said: “We are convinced that one of the six people found dead committed this crime”.

The group, who had all checked into the posh hotel at various points over the weekend, were last seen alive heading into the room on Monday afternoon, police said.

Security footage showed one of the women receiving a room service delivery shortly before the five others arrived, cops added. No one was spotted leaving the room in the aftermath and the door was locked from the inside.

Rescue teams arrive to the Grand Hyatt Erawan where the incident occurred. Picture: Getty Images

Four of the bodies were located in the living room and two in the bedroom, Bangkok police chief Lt. Gen. Thiti Sangsawang said.

He said two of them appeared to try to reach for the door but collapsed before they could.

A mass suicide was unlikely because some of the group had arranged future parts of their trip — including guides and drivers, investigators said.

One of the hotel maids had made the grim discovery after the guests failed to check out on time.

Police immediately started testing the drinks found inside the room after traces of “suspicious substances” were spotted floating in the cups and glasses.

Photos from the crime scene showed the cups and teapots strewn out across a table inside the room, while the room service food remained untouched.

The traces of cyanide were uncovered during the initial autopsies performed at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn Hospital, officials said.

The Grand Hyatt Erawan where six people died. Picture: Getty Images

“We can assume that the six died from cyanide,” Chulalongkorn Hospital’s Kornkiat Vongpaisarnsin told reporters, adding that results of further tests would be available on Friday.

Police are still investigating how the cyanide was obtained.

Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said that “there were no signs of a struggle”, while speaking at the Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel in the upscale Pathum Wan district, where the incident took place.

Meanwhile, police had earlier said they were searching for a seventh person — also a Vietnamese national — whose name was part of the hotel booking.

They have since determined the person, who was a sibling of one of the six killed, had left Thailand on July 10 and is believed to have no involvement in the deaths.

The Vietnamese and US embassies have both been contacted over the deaths, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said, adding that the FBI was en route to help with the investigation.

Earlier, a police officer speaking on condition of anonymity denied initial reports that the six had been killed in a shooting, saying the investigation was currently focused on a “link with a toxic substance.”

Some of the six foreigners appeared to be on their first trip to the country, while others appeared to be return visitors, he added.

In a statement, the police said they were still investigating the scene and cause of death.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller expressed “our sincere condolences to families on their loss” and said the agency was “closely monitoring the situation” and was “ready to provide assistance to those families.”

The area where the crime took place is popular with tourists and home to several upscale shopping malls and the Erawan shrine, a visitor draw.

Last October, a 14-year-old boy opened fire at the Siam Paragon mall in the area, killing three people.

The shooting came just days before the anniversary of a massacre at a nursery in northern Thailand that left 36 people dead and amid government efforts to bolster tourist numbers.

Some 28 million people visited Thailand in 2023, up from 11 million the year before, but still well down from the 40 million who came in 2019, the

last year before the pandemic.

Originally published as Dead tourists poisoned by cyanide in Bangkok hotel