Grenade kills two more in Bangkok, one day after five-year-old girl was sprayed with bullets

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A woman and a child were killed in a grenade attack Sunday in a main Bangkok shopping district, as fears over violence mount after nearly four months of political crisis.

The Sunday afternoon attack came a day after a young girl died and dozens were hurt in a drive-by shooting at a protest rally in eastern Thailand.

The explosion occurred during an anti-government rally in an area popular with tourists for its street stalls, hotels and proximity to one of the biggest shopping malls in Thailand's capital.

"A 40-year-old woman and a 12-year-old boy died and 22 people were injured," the Erawan emergency centre said in an update on its website. Two children were among the injured.

A damaged tuk-tuk was left abandoned on the blood-splattered road as soldiers and police sealed off the area.

Police said shrapnel fragments indicated the blast was caused by a grenade fired from a M79 launcher.

The kingdom has been bitterly split since a military coup ousted Yingluck's brother Thaksin Shinawatra as prime minister in 2006.

The current unrest is the worst since Thaksin-allied Red Shirt protests against a Democrat-led government in 2010 sparked clashes and a bloody military crackdown that left more than 90 people dead.

On Saturday, a five-year-old girl died and 30 were injured when gunmen sprayed bullets at a anti-government rally in the Khao Saming district of Trat province, 300 kilometres (185 miles) east of the capital.

In recent months, 19 people have died and hundreds more have been injured, fuelling fears of a spiral of unrest.