Media consultant Indra Suharjono was working in the mall when she and her colleagues were told to take cover at about 5pm local time.
They were preparing for a fans’ meet-and-greet session with celebrities on Tuesday night. She gathered about 300 fans into an auditorium and they locked the doors behind them.
“The atmosphere is very sombre at the moment, and everybody is quiet. They are looking at all the news online … I got a lot more worried when everybody said to find a place and to stay put,” she said.
People around her received information from friends outside the mall, she said. At about 5.45pm, the authorities started evacuating fans from the hall and they were told to leave the building.
A large number of people milled around the streets outside and on elevated walkways after the incident, which took place in a bustling commercial zone that connects with an elevated rail network and a series of other malls.
Susinee, a 35-year-old restaurant worker, said she and her colleagues bolted out of their Japanese ramen outlet when they heard gunshots.
“We just ran out,” she said, standing with half a dozen of her colleagues.
The mall said it had evacuated shoppers and staff immediately, stressing safety was of the utmost importance.
“Siam Paragon would like to express our deep apologies for the unexpected event,” it said in a statement.
Source: CNA
