Thailand in mourning as victims of daycare massacre farewelled
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Hundreds of mourners have gathered in temples in north-east Thailand to farewell more than 30 victims who were killed in a heartless massacre in a children's daycare.
On Thursday, a man armed with a gun and a knife stormed a daycare centre, killing 12 adults and 24 children between the ages of two and five.
Relatives and grief-stricken members of the community gathered at the Si Uthai temple in the village of Uthai Sawan on Saturday to pay their respects to the victims.
They lit candles in front of coffins topped with floral wreaths and framed photographs of the dead, as loved ones placed toys, clothes and their children favourite foods atop their caskets.
One of the coffins belonged to toddler Pattarawat Jamnongnid, whose photo showed him dressed in a pink sports shirt
On his coffin was a model dinosaur and a bottle of milk.
His mother, 40-year-old factory worker Daoreung Jamnongnid, said her only child was energetic and talkative.
At just two years and 10 months, he was the youngest of the children killed but his mother said he already knew the alphabet.
"He was so smart. He liked to watch documentaries with his father," she said.
Police have identified the attacker as Panya Khamrap, 34, a former police sergeant who was facing trial on a drugs charge.
His autopsy showed no evidence of drug use at the time of his death, according to police.
Deputy police chief Surachet Hakpan said officers were still interviewing 180 people about the incident, and when asked about the killer's motive, he said it was "because of his constant stress … his family, his money and his legal cases. So he acted aggressively".
Three boys and two girls survived the attack and four of them remain in hospital, police said.
Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn visited the hospital on Friday to express his sorrow over the "evil incident".
"There are no other words to describe this feeling," he said.
"I want to give you all moral support to be strong so that the souls of those children can have a sense of relief that their families will remain strong and be able to move forward."
Meanwhile Kittisak Polprakan, a witness to the attack, described the killing spree.
"It was so quiet," he said.
"There was no noise, no screaming, nothing."
Image credits: Getty Images