Narathiwat, November 6:

The unrest in Thailand’s insurgency-hit Muslim-majority south showed no signs of abating today, with 10 people killed in a series of attacks and 27 wounded in a market bombing.

The explosion struck a fresh food market in Yala province as it was filling with shoppers this evening.

A hospital official in Yala town said two of the 27 wounded had to have limbs amputated.

Earlier today, a suspected separatist was killed in a clash with security forces in Yala, while a Muslim man whom police claimed was a key rebel leader was also shot dead in Narathiwat.

Suspected militants also opened fire on a teacher and headmaster from the same school in Narathiwat province, killing both the Buddhist men, police said.

Yesterday, two imams from mosques in Narathiwat province were shot dead by rebels, police said, while in nearby Pattani three Muslim local government officials and an army sergeant were killed by gunmen.

The shootings take the total number of people killed in the last three days across insurgency-hit Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat provinces to 18. They include a 12-year-old boy, shot alongside his father on Sunday.

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont is due to visit the restive region on Wednesday, where violence appears to be escalating.