At least six people have died in a mass shooting incident at a busy food market in Bangkok, Thailand, police said.
The gunman fatally shot five people at the popular Or Tor Kor market in the Thai capital, a police official told Reuters, adding that the gunman had also killed himself.
Security camera footage from the incident showed people scrambling to save themselves as multiple gunshots rang out. Another clip was widely shared that appeared to show the shooter holding a handgun and running through a car park from the market’s entrance gate.
The shooter, a man wearing a black T-shirt and carrying a backpack on his front, arrived at the market before 1pm local time and began shooting multiple rounds. He fled the market before shooting himself dead, The Matichon reported.
The victims have been identified as four security guards working at the market and a woman. Two other women were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.
“Police are investigating the motive. So far it’s a mass shooting,” Worapat Sukthai, deputy police chief of Bangkok’s Bang Sue district, told AFP. He said the authorities were investigating “for any possible link” to the ongoing clashes at the border between Thailand and Cambodia.
The shooter has been identified as a 61-year-old former security guard, from the Kong district.
The Or Tor Kor market, located near the major tourist destination of Chatuchak market, is popular for its fresh produce and local food.
An eyewitness said he was drinking coffee with his friend when he heard a loud noise. Shortly afterwards, multiple gunshots rang out and the police shut the door of the establishment, asking patrons to hide inside.
"It didn’t sound like a gunshot, but when people started to panic and the Royal Project [coffee shop] staff went out to check, they pushed the people to safety. As for the two of us, we parked our cars near the donation point for the soldiers of Mr Kan Chom Phalang," the eyewitness was quoted by The Matichon.
Police confirmed that no tourists were killed or injured in the shooting incident. Tourism is a key economic driver in Thailand, where growth has been sluggish and such incidents can potentially dampen sentiment.
Rates of firearms-related deaths are relatively high compared to other Asian nations, most of which have strict gun control laws. Thailand is second only to the Philippines in terms of both total and per capita gun-related deaths in Southeast Asia, according to the Associated Press.
Thai police arrested a 14-year-old boy in 2023 for fatally shooting two people at a luxury shopping mall in Bangkok. In 2022, a former policeman burst into a nursery in Thailand, killing 38 people, including dozens of children and teachers, in the deadliest rampage in the nation’s history.
