At least 30 people, including children and adults, were killed in an attack on a kindergarten in northern Thailand, police said.
A man armed with a knife and a gun stormed a daycare center in the northern province of Nong Bua Lamphu, near the Laos border.
“There are several dead, but details are still limited,” a police spokesman told Reuters. A spokesman for a regional public affairs bureau said 26 deaths had been confirmed so far – 23 children, two teachers and a police officer.
The former policeman Panya K. killed himself and his family after the crime
Photos circulating on social media show lifeless bodies under tarpaulins in the daycare’s rooms.
The perpetrator, a former 34-year-old police officer, also killed himself, his wife and child after the crime, according to various media reports. Twelve other people were injured.
A statement from the Thai government said: “The Prime Minister has expressed his condolences over the incident.”
Such rampages are rare in Thailand, but in 2020 a soldier angered by a property deal killed at least 29 people and injured 57 in a rampage that spanned four locations. (rob)