BANGKOK: A 14-year-old boy killed at least eight people, including his grandparents, before taking his own life in a shooting rampage at a school outside Bangkok on Friday, police said, in Thailand’s deadliest mass killing since 2022.
The teenager opened fire at Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Nonthaburi province, northwest of Bangkok, after allegedly shooting his grandparents at their home. Police said the suspect was among those killed at the school.
The attack left 15 people injured, with both students and teachers reported among the casualties. Emergency teams rushed to the school as frightened students streamed out of the building, many without shoes, while ambulances transported the wounded.
Police said the teenager fired at least 26 rounds and had another 34 rounds of ammunition. Authorities said the weapon belonged to his grandfather.
An 18-year-old student told Reuters he initially believed the loud noises were firecrackers or someone striking an object. He said the sounds stopped briefly before gunfire erupted again.
Emergency worker Kiatikhun Verapongpradith said his team arrived while the shooting was still underway and treated students suffering injuries. He said teachers were also among those found injured or dead inside the school.
The suspect was later found after apparently shooting himself, according to the emergency worker. He was taken to hospital, but authorities confirmed that he died.
Education Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong said both teachers and students were among the casualties, while police identified the teenager as a student.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul expressed sorrow over the incident, describing the shooting as a devastating event for the country.
The attack is Thailand’s second school shooting this year. In February, a teacher was killed and a student injured in a shooting at a school in the southern part of the country.
Thailand has experienced several deadly gun attacks in recent years. The country’s worst mass killing in recent history occurred in 2022, when a former police officer killed 36 people, including 22 children, during a rampage at a daycare centre in northeastern Thailand.
A separate 2023 shooting at a Bangkok shopping centre, carried out by another 14-year-old, killed two people and injured five others.
Following that attack, authorities introduced several gun-control measures, including restrictions on new firearm licences and tighter rules concerning access to shooting ranges by people under 20.
Thailand has one of Southeast Asia’s highest rates of civilian gun ownership. A Small Arms Survey estimate from 2017 put the number of privately held firearms in the country at around 10.3 million.
Friday’s tragedy is expected to renew debate over firearm access, school safety and measures aimed at preventing young people from obtaining weapons.
