Death toll rises to eight after school shooting near Bangkok

A 12-year-old student died on Saturday after being hospitalized for critical wounds sustained in a shooting at Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Nonthaburi province, northwest of Bangkok. The incident, which began around 10 a.m. on Friday, involved a 14-year-old boy who opened fire at the school before taking his own life. Earlier that morning the same boy had killed his two grandparents at their home, officials said.

Thailand’s Health Ministry reported that 14 people remain hospitalized, seven of them in critical condition, most of them aged 12 to 14. The school posted a request for blood donations for two injured students, including the girl who later died.

The Institute of Forensic Medicine confirmed the bodies of eight victims: five school staff members, the shooter and his grandparents. The institute’s head, Wiroon Supasingsiripreecha, said most victims suffered a single fatal gunshot wound to a vital area such as the chest or head, and that the shooter’s wound matched the weapon used. The gun, described as small and compact, was legally registered to the boy’s grandfather.

Authorities said the school, which enrolls about 3,000 students aged 12 to 18, will suspend classes from Aug. 10-14 and staff will work from home during that period. Some community members laid flowers at the school gate, and a few parents collected belongings left behind after the attack.

Thailand has one of the highest civilian gun-ownership rates in Asia, with about 15 guns per 100 people, according to a 2017 study. While mass shootings are rare in the country, recent years have seen an increase in high-profile firearm incidents, including a February attack at a southern high school that left one dead and two injured.