The death toll from a school shooting in Thailand has risen to nine after police said a 12-year-old girl being treated for serious injuries had died in hospital.
A 14-year-old boy allegedly shot his grandparents and then killed five more people at his school, before turning the gun on himself in the incident in Nonthaburi, northwest of Bangkok, on Friday, officials said.
The suspected teenage gunman injured more than 30 people in the shooting at the Debsirin Nonthaburi school, with 14 victims still in hospital, seven of whom are in a critical condition, the province's public relations department said citing the ministry of public health.
Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Friday (7 August) he would propose new legislation to restrict the carrying of firearms by the public.
"The new law will only allow government officials on duty to carry guns," Anutin told reporters. He did not provide further details on the proposed legislation or say whether it would tighten gun ownership requirements.
Thailand has the highest rate of civilian gun ownership in Southeast Asia. According to a 2017 estimate by the Switzerland-based Small Arms Survey, civilians in Thailand possessed around 10.3 million firearms, equivalent to about 15 guns per 100 people.
The alleged teenage shooter on Friday fired 26 rounds, with an additional 34 rounds of ammunition later found at the scene.
A student at the school told Reuters they initially did not realise the sound was gunfire.
"I didn’t think it was a gun at first," the student said. "There were many shots: bang bang bang. Then it went quiet. Then it started again."
Mass shootings have occurred regularly in Thailand in recent years, including attacks at schools, a major Bangkok shopping mall and a 2022 killing spree in the country's northeast that left 36 people dead, including 22 children.
Thailand's licensing system requires separate permits for owning and carrying firearms. However, experts say it still lacks mandatory mental health screening for gun ownership applicants and does not require periodic reassessment of licence holders.
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