The massacre in Thailand, in which a former police officer killed dozens of children and several adults in a daycare center, caused horror far beyond the country’s borders. Most of the children who died at the facility were between the ages of two and five. Now police are feverishly investigating the motive of the 34-year-old attacker, who was armed with a gun and knife. Bad weather and a bus failure may have prevented the death toll from rising even higher.
The researchers suspect that the 34-year-old had consumed methamphetamine before the massacre – but this must first be confirmed by a drug test. He then stormed into the daycare where his son attended – when he couldn’t find the boy there, he opened fire and killed more than 20 children who were napping. Only one child survived.
Bus breakdown and bad weather: only 24 children in the nursery instead of 92
However, the number of victims could have been much higher – normally 92 children are cared for in the institution, the director of the daycare center reports. Due to bad weather during the monsoon season and because a bus carrying children to the facility broke down, there were only 24 children on the day of the massacre. “Of course many people are devastated and many parents are glad they didn’t send their children to school because of the weather,” said BBC Thailand editor Nopporn Wong-Anan.
Slaughter under the influence of drugs?
Police suspect the perpetrator was drugged during the attack: “After his release from prison, he did not stop using drugs. He may have had hallucinations, combined with stress, which led him to commit the crimes,” said Damrongsak Kittiprapat, head of the Thai National Police. “After inspecting the crime scene, we found that the perpetrator was trying to break in and he mainly used a knife to commit the crime,” said the investigator. “Then he fled and attacked everyone he met along the way. met with a gun or knife until he got home. We surrounded the house and then found out that he had committed suicide in his house.” His wife and three-year-old son were also killed by the attacker.
Witness: ‘I held up my hands and begged for mercy’
An eyewitness told Reuters that she begged the attacker for her life. “He was reloading the weapon. I held up my hands and begged for mercy. I didn’t know what to do,” the woman explained. “He kicked the window with his feet, then shot at the door… I ran into the kitchen behind it. I was in shock; I didn’t know what to do,” recalled another eyewitness.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-Cha condemned the one “shocking incident” – he promised help to the bereaved families and wanted to travel to the crime scene on Friday. Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn also promised help to the relatives and announced a visit to the nursery.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
