Nine people have been killed and 23 others injured in a mass shooting at a school near Bangkok - the worst such incident in Thailand since 2022. The attack was carried out by a 14-year-old student who shot his grandparents in their home before arriving at the school, authorities said.
The tragedy took place at Debsirin Nonthaburi School in the Bang Kruai district, on the outskirts of the Thai capital. According to Reuters, the attacker arrived by bus and started shooting shortly before 10 a.m. local time. He walked around the school for about 40 minutes before turning the gun on himself.
The victims included three teachers and two school staff. On Saturday, the death toll rose to nine after a 12-year-old girl died from her wounds.
Students trapped in classrooms barricaded doors with desks, turned off lights and hid near windows as police secured the building. A 14-year-old student, identified by Reuters as Kim, said students initially mistook the gunshots for noise from a construction site. After a series of more gunshots, a teacher brought them back into the classroom and confirmed that there was a gunman in the school.
Kim was in contact with her mother and older sister, who were in a neighboring building. She asked her mother not to call her, so that the phone's ringtone would not be activated and her location would not be revealed. In the meantime, photos of the alleged attacker began to circulate in school chat rooms.
The mother of the two girls, a 52-year-old nurse, says that while she was working at a hospital, she received a panicked call from her older daughter. She asked her to count the shots to estimate when the attacker might run out of ammunition, and at the same time notified the police.
According to investigators, the attacker fired at least 26 rounds, and another 34 were found in his possession. The school has more than 3,000 students and nearly 150 teachers.
The incident once again puts the issue of gun control on the agenda in Thailand, which is among the countries with the highest rates of gun ownership in Southeast Asia.