In a gun and knife attack at a daycare center for preschoolers in north-east Thailand, an ex-policeman killed at least 38 individuals, most of them children.
In the wake of the incident in Nong Bua Lamphu province, police claim he later killed himself and his family.
Police say the gunman shot and stabbed his victims before fleeing the scene at the nursery, leaving both children and adults among the dead.
The 34-year-old ex-officer was fired in June over drug use, according to authorities.
According to a teacher who survived the incident, the shooter used to drop off his child at the nursery and had a friendly demeanor. It is still unknown why the strike occurred.
The horrific murder in the town of Uthai Sawan left at least 22 youngsters dead. As they slept, some victims as young as two years old were attacked. Twelve injured individuals were transported to Nong Bua Lamphu district hospital.
The shooting, according to Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha, was “a horrific act.”
The attacker was identified by authorities as Panya Kamrab, a local who had previously served as a police lieutenant colonel but was fired last year due to drug use. It is believed that he appeared in court on Thursday to answer allegations of using and maybe selling methamphetamine.
At around 12:30 pm, he stormed the nursery carrying a shotgun, a revolver, and a knife (0530 GMT).
The details of what happened next are still developing, but according to police, who initiated a hunt for the assailant and advised villagers to stay inside for their safety, the attacker departed the site in a white, four-door Toyota pickup truck with Bangkok license plates following the killing spree.
According to eyewitness accounts, the attacker ran over spectators and fired at several of them, hurting numerous people as he fled the scene.
After returning home, according to the police, Kamrab killed his wife and son before committing suicide.
Despite the country’s generally high rates of gun ownership, mass shootings are uncommon in Thailand. The Reuters news agency claims that the country in south-east Asia is likewise rife with illegal weaponry.
The incident in the nursery happened less than a month after an army officer in Bangkok fatally shot two of his fellow officers.
In the city of Nakhon Ratchasima in 2020, a soldier killed 29 people and injured many more.
