36 people, including 24 children, were killed in an attack on a children’s center in the town of Uthai Sawan in Thailand’s northeastern Nong Bua Lamphu Province.
According to local police reports, at least 12 others were wounded in the attack.
The victims of the massacre were as young as two, according to the media.
The gunman made his way into the children’s center around 12.30pm during nap time, according to the authorities.
He first shot four or five staff members, including a teacher who was eight months pregnant, before attacking the children.
The attacker who shot and stabbed people inside the children’s center fled the scene and went to his home, where he killed his family before committing suicide.
According to Thai law enforcement officials, the attacker was a former police officer who was recently dismissed from service.
Local media reported that the suspect had been fired from police due to drug problems and may have been under the influence of illegal substances during the attack.
Thailand has a moderately-high rate of gun ownership, but mass shootings are extremely rare in the kingdom.
The last such disaster happened two years ago, when a soldier, who was angry about a real estate deal, killed at least 29 people and wounded 57 others.