(MENAFN) According to local authorities, a gun and knife attack at a children's facility in northeast Thailand on Thursday killed more than 30 individuals, the majority of them were children.
The massacre claimed the lives of 36 people, including 24 children, in the town of Uthai Sawan in the country's Nong Bua Lamphu Province. According to authorities, at least 12 additional people were hurt in the event.
The man who shot and stabbed everyone inside the institution escaped the scene and went home, where he slaughtered his family before killing himself.
Thai authorities have identified the offender as a former police officer who was recently discharged.
As per local media, the individual was fired from the force owing to drug problems and may have been under the influence at the time of the incident.
The shooter entered the children's center at 12.30pm during nap time.
He shot four or five staff workers, including an eight-month pregnant teacher, before targeting the youngsters, according to district official Jidapa Boonsom.
“At first people thought it was fireworks,” Boonsom noted. The victims of the massacre were as young as two, based on the ourlet.
Thailand has a very high percentage of gun ownership, but major shootings are uncommon.
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