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Families in tears and inconsolable anguish gathered outside a Thai daycare center on Friday, where an ex-policeman killed over two dozen children in one of the country’s deadliest mass murders. Later, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha and Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn will pay a visit to survivors of the incident that claimed at least 37 lives, including the attacker’s wife and kid.
The remains of the dead, who include 23 children, arrived in coffins overnight at a mortuary in Udon Thani, the nearest city to the tranquil rural neighborhood destroyed by Thursday’s three-hour assault.
Around 12:30 p.m., fired police sergeant Panya Khamrab opened fire on the daycare center in the northeastern Nong Bua Lam Phu province using a 9mm handgun and a knife (0530 GMT).
After the assault, 34-year-old Panya fled the scene in a pickup vehicle and drove home, where he killed his wife and kid before concluding the killing spree at 3:00 pm, according to authorities.
Hundreds of people gathered outside the nursery, a small structure in a local government complex with a lawn in front of it, on Friday to mourn and pay their respects.
Some sobbed uncontrollably while receiving hugs from loved ones, wiping their eyes.
– A drug user
On Friday, flags on governmental structures flew at half-staff as a sign of respect for one of the worst days in recent Thai history.
The attacker stormed into the building in the rural Na Klang district, according to Nanthicha Punchum, acting chief of the nursery, who described terrifying scenes.
A school teacher who was eight months pregnant was among those who died, according to local media, and one child survived because they were under a blanket sleeping when the attacker struck.
Reporters were informed by National Police Chief Damrongsak Kittiprapat that former police sergeant Panya had been suspended in January and fired in June due to drug use.
He added that Panya was in a manic state, but it was unclear whether it was caused by drugs. The attacker, who used a legally purchased pistol, had been scheduled to appear in court on a drug-related charge.
The attacker was a well-known drug addict in the neighbourhood, according to the witness Paweena Purichan, 31.
She told AFP that as Panya fled the scene, she saw him driving erratically.
“Blood was all over the place.”
A woman was seen in a video Paweena posted online lying injured next to a roadside bush after Panya had apparently knocked her off her motorcycle.
The attack came less than three years after a soldier killed 29 people during a 17-hour rampage and injured dozens more before being killed by commandos. Thai Prime Minister Prayut has ordered a swift investigation into the incident.
And less than a month ago, an army officer killed two of his coworkers at a base for military training in Bangkok.
Despite the high rate of gun ownership in Thailand, mass shootings like the one on Thursday are uncommon.
