A least 34 people, including 24 children, have been killed in a mass shooting carried out by a former policeman at a children's nursery in northern Thailand. Gunman Panya Khamrab then killed his wife and child before taking his own life as authorities launched a large-scale manhunt in Nong Bua Lamphu, roughly 333 miles north-east of Bangkok.
The 34-year-old had previously been dismissed from police duties for illicit drug use, the Mirror report. Police have confirmed that at least 34 victims died in the attack on Thursday with 18 more injured. The fatalities include 24 children, with some as young as two years old.
"At first people thought it was fireworks," district official Jidapa Boonsom told Reuters. The attacker's motives remain unclear, however he had arrived at the earlier nursery and appeared agitated to find his child was not there.
