BANG KRUAI 8 AUGUST 2026 (Agencies) – A 14-year-old student opened fire at Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Bang Kruai district, Nonthaburi province, just north of Bangkok, on Friday morning, in what officials described as Thailand’s deadliest school shooting in years. Police said the suspect had earlier killed his grandparents at their home, where he also lived, before turning the weapon on himself. He later died.
The confirmed death toll rose to eight after a 12-year-old girl died of her injuries on Saturday, becoming the first confirmed child killed in the attack. Thailand’s prime minister said five teachers were killed at the school, in addition to the gunman’s grandparents. More than 30 people, including students, were injured in the rampage.
The school released a statement expressing “deepest condolences and profound sorrow” over the young victim’s death. It had earlier shared tributes to the five staff members killed, along with their portraits, saying the shooting had shaken the hearts of students, parents, teachers and others.
Authorities have yet to determine how the teenager gained access to the weapon used in the attack, a handgun that police said belonged to his grandfather.
An 18-year-old student who witnessed the attack told Reuters he initially thought he was hearing firecrackers, describing the sound as growing more frequent before falling silent and then resuming.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters that emergency personnel had rushed to care for the injured and that relevant agencies had been dispatched to handle the situation at the site, calling the incident terrible and something that should not have happened. The government said Anutin had directed agencies to provide immediate and comprehensive support to all those affected.
This marks the second school shooting in Thailand this year. The first occurred on 11 February 2026 in Hat Yai, Songkhla province, where an 18-year-old opened fire at Patongprathankiriwat School, killing the school principal and injuring three others.
Thailand has seen a series of deadly shootings at schools and other locations in recent years in a country where gun ownership is relatively common. Last year, six people were killed when a man opened fire at a Bangkok market before taking his own life, and in 2023, a 14-year-old killed two people and injured five others in a shooting at a Bangkok shopping mall.