Bangkok: As many as 27 were killed in the recent shooting spree including the perpetrator, while 57 others were injured, Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Sunday.
A 32-year-old soldier, identified as Jakrapanth Thomma, on Saturday indulged in a mass shooting in the city of Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat) between a military base, a Buddhist temple and a shopping mall, where he took several people hostage. The assailant was finally eliminated, national police said on Sunday morning.
“According to the updated data, 27 people were killed, including special forces servicemen, civilians and the perpetrator himself. Fifty-seven people were injured, 45 of them have already been discharged from hospitals and returned home,” the Prime Minister said.
“Two of those injured underwent neurosurgery. One had complex bowel surgery, two had leg surgery, and the others sustained lighter injuries,” he added.
According to the Prime Minister, the motive was linked to a “domestic conflict between the perpetrator and his fellow servicemen over the sale of a house.”
The army command will look into the circumstances that led to the tragedy, he stated.