Thailand school shooting leaves 7 dead, 15 wounded

At least 7 people have been reported killed and 15 other people injured in a school shooting in Thailand on Friday morning, according to public broadcaster Thai PBS.

The shooting took place at a school in Central Thailand's Nonthaburi province. The fatalities have been listed as three students, three teachers and the suspected shooter. It has been reported that the attacker turned the gun on himself after shooting the students and teachers.

The shooter, wearing a purple tracksuit, fired multiple rounds inside the school, according to a witness at the scene. Initial reports indicated that the attacker was a student, according to Thai PBS, citing Thai Permanent Secretary for the Interior Arsit Sampantharat.

A student who was inside the school said he initially thought there were firecrackers going off or that someone was banging an object.

"I didn't think it was a gun at first," he told the Reuters.

"There were many shots: bang, bang, bang. Then it went quiet. Then it started again."

Extending sympathy to those killed and injured, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told media that "I am very sorry that this is happening.

"It is horrible. This should not have happened," he said, adding that the problem of gun violence had prompted his government to ban the carrying of handguns by unauthorized people and to more widely restrict the possession of firearms.

With details of the incident still under investigation, officials have asked the public to await an official update.

The deadly incident is the second school shooting in Thailand this year. A teacher died of her injuries after a shooting in Songkhla province in the south of the country in February.

In October 2022, 37 people, including 22 children, were killed when a former policeman with a history of drug abuse attacked a day-care center in Nong Bua Lam Phu province in the upper northeastern region of Thailand.

kelly@chinadailyapac.com