hubbub

17日にタイの首都バンコクにある繁華街で爆弾が爆発し、地元警察によると少なくとも20名以上が死亡し、120名以上が重軽傷を負いました。また、この爆発に日本人1名も巻き込まれましたが、容体は安定してきているそうです。

A bomb exploded Monday within a central Bangkok shrine that is among the city’s most popular tourist spots, killing at least 18 people and injuring more than 100 across a hectic intersection surrounded by five-star hotels and upscale shopping malls.
With a powerful flash caught on security video and a boom heard blocks away, the blast from the improvised explosive device scattered body parts across Rachaprasong intersection, spattered blood, blasted windows and burned motorbikes to the metal. It exploded during evening rush hour as the area was filled with tourists, office workers and shoppers.

中略

The shrine, adjacent to a five-star hotel, is at the intersection of two major arteries in the city. Throngs of tourists come there to pray at all hours, lighting incense and offering flowers purchased from rows of stalls set up on the sidewalk along the shrine. The site is a hubbub of activity, with quiet worshippers sometimes flanked by Thai dancers hired by those seeking good fortune, while groups of tourists shuffle in and out.

http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0002363580

今回取り上げるのは、“hubbub”という表現です。LDOCEで調べてみると、“a mixture of loud noises, especially the noise of a lot of people talking at the same time”という定義が見つかりました。さらに『ジーニアス英和辞典G4 大修館書店』でも確認してみると、「どよめき、騒音、ワイワイガヤガヤ」といった意味がありました。爆弾が仕掛けられていたのは、町の中心部の繁華街ということもあり、観光客や参拝者で大変賑わっていました。今回の事件は、観光業に打撃を与える狙いで外国人をターゲットとしたテロだと考えられています。(ninetails)