No less than six folks have died in a mass capturing incident at a busy meals market in Bangkok, Thailand, police mentioned.
The gunman fatally shot 5 folks on the widespread Or Tor Kor market within the Thai capital, a police official instructed Reuters, including that the gunman had additionally killed himself.
Safety digital camera footage from the incident confirmed folks scrambling to save lots of themselves as a number of gunshots rang out. One other clip was broadly shared that appeared to point out the shooter holding a handgun and working by way of a parking lot from the market’s entrance gate.
The shooter, a person carrying a black T-shirt and carrying a backpack on his entrance, arrived on the market earlier than 1pm native time and started capturing a number of rounds. He fled the market earlier than capturing himself lifeless, The Matichon reported.
The victims have been recognized as 4 safety guards working on the market and a girl. Two different ladies had been rushed to a close-by hospital for remedy.
“Police are investigating the motive. To this point it’s a mass capturing,” Worapat Sukthai, deputy police chief of Bangkok’s Bang Sue district, instructed AFP. He mentioned the authorities had been investigating “for any doable hyperlink” to the continued clashes on the border between Thailand and Cambodia.
The shooter has been recognized as a 61-year-old former safety guard, from the Kong district.
The Or Tor Kor market, situated close to the most important vacationer vacation spot of Chatuchak market, is widespread for its recent produce and native meals.
An eyewitness mentioned he was consuming espresso along with his good friend when he heard a loud noise. Shortly afterwards, a number of gunshots rang out and the police shut the door of the institution, asking patrons to cover inside.
“It didn’t sound like a gunshot, however when folks began to panic and the Royal Undertaking [coffee shop] workers went out to test, they pushed the folks to security. As for the 2 of us, we parked our vehicles close to the donation level for the troopers of Mr Kan Chom Phalang,” the eyewitness was quoted by The Matichon.
Police confirmed that no vacationers had been killed or injured within the capturing incident. Tourism is a key financial driver in Thailand, the place development has been sluggish and such incidents can doubtlessly dampen sentiment.
Charges of firearms-related deaths are comparatively excessive in comparison with different Asian nations, most of which have strict gun management legal guidelines. Thailand is second solely to the Philippines by way of each whole and per capita gun-related deaths in Southeast Asia, in keeping with the Related Press.
Thai police arrested a 14-year-old boy in 2023 for fatally capturing two folks at a luxurious shopping center in Bangkok. In 2022, a former policeman burst right into a nursery in Thailand, killing 38 folks, together with dozens of youngsters and academics, within the deadliest rampage within the nation’s historical past.
