The mysterious death of six foreign nationals at a luxury hotel suite in Bangkok has foxed investigators in Thailand. The local media initially suggested that there had been a shooting at the five-star Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok, but the reports were later dismissed by the police saying there was no evidence of gunfire.
The authorities are instead probing whether the victims died of poisoning, reported BBC.
Among the deceased are three men and women, all Vietnamese nationals and some had dual American citizenship, said Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin.
The Prime Minister, who visited the scene also said that the investigators suspected the victims had been dead for 24 hours by the time they were found and added that post-mortem examinations would be carried out.
Thavisin said that the deaths were the result of a "killing", not a suicide and that police "needed to find out the motives". The corpses appeared to be foaming at the mouth, reported news agency AP, citing Lumpini police officers who revealed the detail on condition of anonymity.
Metropolitan police chief Lt Gen Thiti Saengswang said that seven people were booked to stay at the hotel, but only five checked in and one person is currently unaccounted for. One of the victims found dead in the room did not match the hotel's records, as per the BBC report.
The police chief also said that suspicious substances and the DNA of the victims were detected in drinks ordered to the suite just before 2 PM local time on Monday.
The food that was ordered by the victims was not touched. The guests, who arrived on Saturday and Sunday in the country checked into the hotel at two separate times, the PM told reporters, reported Reuters. They were scheduled to check out on Monday.
They went from the hotel's seventh floor to the fifth, where their bodies were found by housekeepers in the suite's living room and bedroom.
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According to investigators, there was no evidence of a fight or robbery, and the only wound found on one of the bodies was likely caused by a collapse. Energy drinks and honey were found in the bathroom, all in open containers, said the police chief.
The initial probe also suggested that two of the victims tried to get to the hotel suite's door, which was locked from inside, but did not manage to reach on time. US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said they were "closely monitoring the situation" and said that Washington was "ready to assist" them.
Thai Prime Minister said that he did not want the incident to affect Thailand's image or tourism, which is a major contributor to the Thai economy but has not fully recovered from the coronavirus pandemic.