At least 36 killed in shooting at Thailand child-care centre

courtesy: CBC

At least 36 people were killed, at least 24 of them children, in a massacre at a child care centre in northeastern Thailand that is believed to be the country’s deadliest incident of its kind.

Authorities immediately launched a manhunt for the suspected attacker, later identified by Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) as Panya Kamrab, a 34-year-old former policeman involved in an ongoing court case for allegedly selling drugs.

Investigators later confirmed he had killed his wife and his stepson before taking his own life. The attacker’s wife and children are included in the current death toll.

The initial attack came at about 12:30 p.m. local time in the town of Nong Bua Lamphu. The town is located about 500 kilometres northeast of Bangkok, and about 300 km south of the Laotian border.

Nineteen boys, three girls and two adults were killed in the building before the assailant fled, according to a police statement. Police said he killed another two children and nine adults outside the child-care centre, which includes his wife and his son.

Mass shootings in the country, however, are rare but a 2020 incident saw a soldier kill 29 people in a shooting spree that began at a military site and then sent shoppers hunting for cover after the gunman entered a mall.