Families retrieve bodies after deadly shooting rampage outside Bangkok

Families have retrieved the bodies of their loved ones a day after a mass shooting at a school and a home outside Bangkok , as a 12-year-old girl died in hospital, raising the death toll to nine, including the teenage shooter.

A 14-year-old schoolboy opened fire at about 10am local time (03:00 GMT) on Friday at Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Bang Kruai district, Nonthaburi province, northwest of the Thai capital, before taking his own life. According to officials, the boy appeared to have killed his two grandparents at their home earlier in the morning.

All eight bodies – five school staff members, the alleged attacker and his grandparents – were collected by early Saturday afternoon from Bangkok’s Institute of Forensic Medicine. Emergency workers brought out a coffin and loaded it onto an ambulance, which will transport them to their hometown for funeral rites.

Sixteen people are still in hospital on Saturday, seven of them in critical condition, according to the Ministry of Public Health. Most of the wounded were between 12 and 14 years old.

Wiroon Supasingsiripreecha, head of the institute, told The Associated Press news agency that most of the victims suffered a single fatal gunshot wound to a vital area, including the chest or head.

He added that the gunshot wound found on the alleged attacker was consistent with the weapon he had used. More detailed forensic findings, including toxicology results, are expected later.

Officials said the gun, described as small and compact, was legally registered to the boy’s grandfather.

There were reports that the boy, who lived with his grandparents, had shown signs of stress connected to school, although a few of his relatives told Thai media they were unaware of any troubles he might have been facing.