Thailand daycare massacre leaves 37 dead, including children

Devika Rao, Staff writer
·1 min read
Police guards daycare
Police guards daycare Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images

An ex-police officer killed 37 people in a massacre at a daycare in the Nong Bua Lamphu province of Thailand on Thursday, reports BBC News. The gunman was identified as 34-year-old Panya Kamrab, who was fired from the police force after being arrested for methamphetamine possession, The New York Times reports. Kamrab shot and stabbed children at the child-care center and then fatally shot himself and his family, police said.

Among the 37 dead, at least 24 were children, some as young as two years old, reports CNN. The assailant used a nine-millimeter handgun and a knife in the attack. It's unclear if there was a motive for the attack. The incident shocked the largely peaceful province.

It has been two years since a mass shooting of this scale in Thailand. The last time was in Feb. 2020 when a soldier opened fire at a military base and shopping mall, killing 29 people. Despite Thailand having a large number of firearms, mass shootings are quite rare, the Times explains. However, the country has high gun ownership and homicide rates and also has a rampant underground market for firearms. The shooting on Thursday was the largest attack with a single perpetrator in Thai history.

The U.S. Embassy in Thailand said in a statement, "We stand with the people of Thailand and offer our deepest condolences to the victims and their families."

You may also like

Survey reveals less than half of Americans plan to get flu shot this season

Russian war reporters warn Ukraine is threatening thin, fragile defensive lines in southern Kherson

Lizzo invited for an encore flute performance at James Madison's home

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • New collection by Billy-Ray Belcourt brings northern Alberta characters into his readers’ orbit

    In his fifth book Coexistence, Billy-Ray Belcourt (Driftpile Cree Nation) shares a collection of short stories that moves through Indigenous love, loss, queerness and hope. Themes of identity, belonging, past and present flow through each of the stories. Belcourt burst onto the literary scene in 2017 with his book of poetry This Wound is a World, winning multiple awards. Subsequent bestselling novels continued to bring recognition to the author, including the 2019 Inspire Award. Belcourt is now

  • Claudia Winkleman says men on The Traitors were ‘threatened’ by smart women

    Winkleman previously said she had originally turned down the offer to host the hit BBC programme.

  • China may be shaking out of its slump, and its economy could grow 5% this year after a surprising first-quarter performance, BofA says

    BofA still doesn't expect "a full-blown growth rebound" as China grapples with a real estate crisis and weak consumer demand.

  • Saint John wants feedback on map for north end plan

    What counts as the north end in Saint John? That's what city planners are looking to define as part of consultations on the North End Neighbourhood Plan, Saint John's growth committee heard Tuesday. The initiative is part of how the city is spending its federal housing funding from the Housing Accelerator Fund. "We want the plan to be big enough but small enough that we can really give focus to each neighbourhood," community planning manager Jennifer Kirchner told the city's growth committee Tue

  • Woman ‘almost died’ trying to cure cancer with juice diet

    Doctors said they repeatedly tried to persuade her to start medical treatment.

  • EastEnders confirms surprise proposal in Jay and Honey marathon story

    EastEnders has confirmed a surprise proposal in Jay and Honey's marathon story.

  • Celsius Holdings Inc CFO Jarrod Langhans Sells Company Shares

    Celsius Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:CELH), a global company with a proprietary, clinically proven formula for its brand of fitness drinks, has reported an insider sale according to a recent SEC filing.

  • Reds hope to get back on-track against LA Angels

    The Cincinnati Reds were swept by Seattle this week, but hoping to bounce-back in a home series against the Angels.

  • Saint John announces street closures for film shoot

    Saint John says it will be drawing the velvet curtain over some city streets next week with a film production in town. The city announced street closures on Prince William Street from Princess to St. James Street from noon Sunday to noon Monday, as well as the south end of Bayside Drive from Hewitt Road to Red Head Road, towards Mispec Beach, from noon to midnight Wednesday. There was also a potential street closure announced for Peel Plaza from 2 p.m. to midnight May 8. According to the traffic

  • Phipps Ocean Park to get $30 million in upgrades

    The town of Palm Beach has broken ground on a restoration project for Phipps Ocean Park, which has been four years in the making.

  • US military strategy tested as Iran-Israel warfare comes out of shadows

    The U.S. military's success helping Israel stop a massive wave of Iranian missiles and drones last weekend might suggest Washington is well prepared militarily for whatever comes next as Iran and Israel move from shadow warfare to direct confrontation. But current and former U.S. officials say U.S. forces are not positioned for a major, sustained Middle East conflict and the Pentagon may have to revisit assumptions about military needs in the region if the crisis deepens. "I don't think we have all the forces that we would want to support Israel if there was a direct war between them and Iran," said Michael Mulroy, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East under the Trump administration.

  • Guest lineups for the Sunday news shows

    WASHINGTON (AP) — ABC’s “This Week” — Reps. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, and Ro Khanna, D-Calif.; retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. ___ NBC's “Meet the Press” — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. ___ CBS’ “Face the Nation" — Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska; Gov. Josh Shapiro, D-Pa. ___ CNN’s “State of the Union” — Govs. J.B. Pritzker, D-Ill., and Kristi Noem, R-S.D.; Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas. __ “Fox News Sunday” — Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.; Rep.

  • Mandisa, Grammy-winning singer and 'American Idol' alum, dies at 47

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Mandisa, a contemporary Christian singer who appeared on “American Idol” and won a Grammy for her 2013 album ‘Overcomer’, has died. She was 47. A representative for the singer told The Associated Press that the singer was found dead in her home in Nashville, Tennessee, on Thursday. The representative said the cause of Mandisa's death was not yet known. Mandisa, whose full name was Mandisa Lynn Hundley, was born near Sacramento, California, and grew up singing in church. S

  • Pirates phenom Paul Skenes still has 'steps he needs to take' after comically dominant start to season

    Skenes has struck out 27 in 12 2/3 scoreless innings pitches at Triple-A so far this season.

  • Taylor Swift’s ‘The Tortured Poets Department' is here. Is it poetry? This is what experts say

    NEW YORK (AP) — Taylor Swift has released her 11th studio album, “The Tortured Poets Department.” But just how poetic is it? Is it even possible to close read lyrics like poems, divorced from their source material? The Associated Press spoke to four experts to assess how Swift's latest album stacks up to poetry. IS TAYLOR SWIFT A POET? Allison Adair, a professor who teaches poetry and other literary forms at Boston College, says yes. “My personal opinion is that if someone writes poems and consi

  • Fire that destroyed fishing boat, truck in Charlotte County was arson: RCMP

    RCMP in Charlotte County said a fire that destroyed a truck and a fishing boat in Back Bay was set by arson. Eastern Charlotte Fire Chief Justin Johnston said Thursday that a truck and a fishing boat were a complete loss after a fire in the community, 12 kilometres south of St. George. In a press release Friday, St. George RCMP asked for the public's help to locate a person of interest in what they said was an arson. Johnston said that just after 3:30 a.m., crews responded to reports of a vehicl

  • Driver dragged officer while fleeing traffic stop: Sussex RCMP

    Police in Sussex say a 23-year-old being arrested during a traffic stop took off and dragged a police officer about 20 metres alongside his vehicle. Colton Bernard, 23, of St. George Street in Sussex, was charged Monday with obstruction of a peace officer, assault on a police officer, flight from police and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle dating to April 11, according to court documents. In a release Wednesday from Sussex RCMP, police say that on April 11, officers responded to a driving

  • Snow Showers Pick Up in Northern Colorado

    Snow showers swept into the Denver-Boulder area on Friday, April 19, with heavier snow expected as the day continued, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.Footage shows snow falling on Boulder on Friday.A winter weather advisory was in effect until Saturday morning, with the NWS warning of total snow accumulations up to 10 inches. Credit: @mewmewmew13 via Storyful

  • Busch Gardens Tampa Bay | Morning Blend

    You can get up close to a remarkable endangered species at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. We're showing off their Gorilla Insider Tour.

  • Central Elgin gets $80M in offsets for land lost to VW mega-factory

    Millions in cash, a big key to unlock future growth – and provincial muscle to help. "Frustrated" only weeks ago by what he called the slow pace of compensation talks, after his municipality lost a big chunk of land to neighbouring St. Thomas to help it land a $7-billion Volkswagen factory, Central Elgin's mayor was in a much better mood after an "historic" deal with the city was announced Friday. “I feel a lot better today than I did a month ago,” Andrew Sloan said. “I think there were some del