A shooting incident occurred in a crowded place in Thailand on Saturday evening. It was at the Terminal 21 shopping center in Nakhon Ratchasima, also known as Korain. A gunman resorted to indiscriminate firing into the crowds and left at least 21 dead with many more injured. Some of them are in serious condition and the authorities fear the number of dead could rise. The gunman was a soldier in his 30s and his identity is known. He apparently killed his commanding officer and stole the weapons from a military camp. During the killing spree, he kept giving updates on a social media platform, and they have subsequently deleted them.

His motives are yet to be established.

The BBC provides a few details. It happened on Saturday. Security forces heard gunshots and raided the building, trying to locate the gunman and disarm him. In the process, one member of the security forces lost his life and a couple of them suffered injuries. Simultaneously, they began to move people out of the premises. It seems the authorities brought the suspect's mother to the spot to convince him to surrender. However, he preferred to continue and died in the shootout.

An official confirmed the death of 16 people at the scene of the shootings, and another four died in hospital. Reports indicate injuries to 31 people, out of which 10 are in critical condition.

Thailand is in a shock

The rampage by a gunman in a shopping center in Thailand has left the country shocked. It was a traumatic experience for those innocents who were present at the scene.

They witnessed death and blood all around them and will probably remain traumatized for a long time. No doubt, it will be difficult for them to erase the sights and sounds from memory. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha is following the developments. A spokeswoman said the prime minister expressed condolences to the families of those killed.

The public health minister has requested people to donate blood to hospitals in the area.

The BBC adds that the soldier first went to a military camp and shot his commanding officer. He also killed the commanding officer’s mother-in-law, and another soldier. His next action was to lay hands on weapons and ammunition and leave in a Humvee-type vehicle. Obviously, he had planned out his course of action. Footage from CCTVs installed inside the shopping center showed his movements.

Motives of the shooter of Thailand not known

According to Sky News, the security forces of Thailand have eliminated the soldier who killed at least 20 people inside a shopping mall in the northwestern city of Nakhon Ratchasima. Police and military personnel stormed the location and killed the gunman in the hours-long standoff. He was armed with an assault rifle and arrived at the mall in a military vehicle. Thai authorities confirmed evacuation of all shoppers from the mall. There were people of all ages present and it was crowded with women, children, and elderly people. A spokesperson for the defense ministry said, "We don't know why he did this. It appears he went mad."

The image of Thailand takes a beating

Thailand was in the news earlier because of a group of young boys.

It was about their dramatic rescue after they were trapped in an underground cave. They were members of a soccer team, had ventured inside the tunnel, and lost their way when rainwater flooded the area. Their rescue got international media attention and experts from other countries arrived to take it up as a challenge. The complete operation had the ingredients of a movie. Later, the Thailand rescue was made into the movie, “The Cave.” Incidentally, the cave is now a Travel destination and the country is again in the news because of the massacre of innocents in a mall.
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