At least six dead after teenager opens fire at a school in Thailand

At least six people have been killed by a 14-year-old student who opened fire at a school in Thailand on Friday before killing himself,authorities said.

The shooting took place on Friday morning at Debsirin Nonthaburi School,a secondary school with around 3,000 pupils,in Nonthaburi province,just north of Bangkok.

Emergency services responded to the scene as terrified students were evacuated from classrooms,with dramatic footage showing children running from the school grounds while staff tried to lead them to safety.

Thailand’s Poh Teck Tung Foundation said officers were ‘urgently evacuating students from the area’ as the incident unfolded.

Lt. Col. Dechrapee Kongdee Nonthaburi,the Provincial Police Commander,confirmed the casualties to Reuters and said the suspected gunman had committed suicide.

The motive for the shooting has not yet been confirmed and police have launched an investigation.

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Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.At least six people are dead and 15 injured after a school shooting just north of Bangkok (Picture: AFP/Getty)Emergency services help an injured teacher at Debsirin Nonthaburi School,the site of the shooting (Picture: Reuters)One 18-year-old student said that he initially thought there were firecrackers going off or someone banging an object.‘I didn’t think it was a gun at first,’ he said.‘There were many shots: bang bang bang. Then it went quiet. Then it started again.’In photos circulated by emergency workers,students streamed out of the Debsirin Nonthaburi School,on the northwestern outskirts of Bangkok,as ambulances operated.In one photo,one person can be seen lying down on a stretcher outside an ambulance,while another is attended to by a medic.In the 2025 academic year,the school had an enrollment of around 3,100 students and 147 teachers,according to district authorities.This comes after another fatal school shooting in February,when a teacher was killed and a student injured after a gunman opened fire at a school in Hat Yai.Students pictured at the scene in the Bang Kruai district of the Nonthaburi province on the outskirts of Bangkok (Picture: Reuters)In February,a teacher died and a student was injured in southern Thailand’s Hat Yai district after a gunman opened fire at a school.School shootings are relatively rare in Thailand,although the country has one of the highest levels of civilian gun ownership in Southeast Asia.According to the Switzerland-based Small Arms Survey,there are more than 10 million civilian-owned firearms in Thailand,equivalent to around 15 guns for every 100 people.In 2022,Thailand was left reeling after the country’s deadliest mass shooting,when 36 people – including 24 children – were killed at a childcare centre in Nong Bua Lamphu.