A gunman was holding an unknown number of student and teachers hostage in a school in southern Thailand’s Songkhla, the provincial administration said on social media.
At least three people were injured as one hostage situation was unfolded in Thailand’s Songkhla on Wednesday after a gunman entered a school building. Authorities said an unknown number of students and teachers were taken hostage by the accused, who was eventually detained by the police. Deputy Superintendent Wichian Soboon said that the perpetrator has been captured and at least three people were injured in the incident.
Gunman has been captured: Policeย
Soon after reviving information about the incident, armed police arrived at the scene as hundreds of youngsters fled onto the roads outside. A number of teachers and pupils remain trapped inside the building. Officers in the Hat Yai district stated that they were attempting to negotiate with the gunman. Local media reported that the number of injuries was now known.
A security guard who escaped from the shooter said the gunman shot the headmaster of the school. He said: โA bullet grazed my stomach, but I escaped. The school director was shot. There were still children inside the school who have been taken hostage.โ
Shooter is believed to be 18 years old
According to police, the shooter is believed to be 18 years old. Apart from this, police in the Thung Lung district received reports of the gunman behaving erratically and threatening to harm his mother at a house near the school.
It should be noted that gun violence is not uncommon in Thailand. Earlier, a former police officer killed 36 people, including 22 children, in a gun-and-knife attack at a nursery in the country’s east in 2022.