Thailand: Over 30 killed in shooting at child care center

At least 37 people have died after a gunman opened fire at a daycare center and on the streets of a town in northeastern Thailand on Thursday.

The violent attack has shocked Thailand, with the country's prime minister ordering an urgent probe into the shooting.

What we know so far

The onslaught occurred in the rural town of Nongbua Lamphu in northeastern Thailand at around 12:30 p.m. local time (0530 GMT/UTC), authorities said.

The attacker first shot a man eating lunch outside before opening fire inside a local daycare center where children as young as two were napping.

He continued to shoot at people from his vehicle as he fled the scene before arriving home and killing his wife and child.

Over 20 of the victims were children, police said.

According to Thai media reports, the gunman also used knives in the attack.

Both children and adults were among the victims, police said in a statement. Authorities confirmed that the gunman was a former police officer.

National Police Chief Damrongsak Kittiprapat told reporters that the 34-year-old attacker had been a sergeant and had been suspended in January before being sacked in June due to drug-related offenses.

"As far as I know he was due in court tomorrow for a drug-related trial," he said, adding that he had been in a manic state during the rampage, but it was not clear if drugs were involved.

One witness told the AFP news agency that the attacker was known in the local area as a drug addict.

Police also said that the gun he used had been purchased legally and was not a police weapon.

Authorities are working to determine the motive behind the attack.

Prime minister orders urgent probe

Thailand's prime minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha, ordered the country's national police to "fast-track" an investigation into the shooting and condemned the "horrific" attack.

"This should not happen. This absolutely should not happen," Prayut told reporters.

"Concerning this horrifying incident ... I would like to express my deepest sorrow and condolences to the families of the dead and injured," Prayuth wrote earlier in a Facebook post.

Images outside the school showed distraught family members waiting for news of their loved ones.

Mass shootings uncommon in Thailand

Mass shootings are rare in Thailand, where there are steep penalties for possessing illegal firearms.

The rate of gun ownership, however, is higher compared to other countries in the region. 

In 2020, Thailand saw another deadly mass shooting after a soldier went on a rampage, killing at least 29 people and wounding 57 others. The soldier, who was angry over a property deal that went wrong, took people hostage in a shopping center before being killed by security forces.

ab, rs, jsi/nm (AFP, AP, Reuters, dpa)