Police officers respond to a school shooting as at Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Bang Kruai district, Nonthaburi province, Thailand, on Friday. Photo by Rungroj Yongrit/EPA
Aug. 7 (UPI) — At least seven people were killed, including the suspected gunman, following a shooting at a school in Thailand’s central Nonthaburi Province near Bangkok on Friday morning, authorities said.
The Royal Thai Police announced the death toll in a statement, adding that at least 15 others were injured, two of whom were in serious condition.
Little information about the shooting was clear. Minister of Education Prasert Jantararuangthong said the shooting occurred at Debsirin Nonthaburi School, a public secondary school that serves grades 7 through 12, according to its official website.
The Royal Thai Police said a 9mm handgun was found at the scene and was reported to belong to a member of the suspected shooter’s family.
“Police are conducting a thorough investigation,” it said. “Further details will be provided as they become available.
Teachers and students were evacuated to Chanrat Wittaya School, where parents and guardians were instructed to pick up their children.
The Royal Thai Police said officers were investigating the cause of the shooting.
“The Royal Thai Police would like to express our condolences to the families of the victims and to offer our support to those injured and those affected by the school shooting incident in Nonthaburi Province,” it said in a statement.
Nonthaburi is one of 76 provinces that with the capital city of Bangkok make up Thailand’s 77 first-level administrative division. It is located just north of Bangkok.
“All members of the Debsirin family send their strength and support to the families of those who were lost and those who were injured,” the school said on its Facebook page.
“May we call the spirits of all our children back home to us.”
Jantararuangthong, who was in Ubon Ratchathani Province, said he was arranging his return to Nonthaburi “as quickly as possible so that I can closely monitor and oversee the response.”
“I want to assure everyone that the Ministry of Education will do everything in its power to ensure safety, bring the situation under control and provide the best possible assistance to all those affected,” he said online.
School shootings are rare in Thailand, though the country has experienced several deadly mass shootings in recent year.
In February, one teacher was killed and three people were inured in a school shooting in the southern Thai province of Songkhla.
In October 2022, at least 37 people, including 24 children, were killed in the nation’s worst mass shooting in history.
