Thai soldier kills 20 people in mass shooting

The man took a gun from his base and drove to the Terminal 21 mall, shooting along the way. The mall was shut down and the street outside was closed while the authorities tried to arrest the gunman and rescue shoppers inside.

Bangkok: A Thai soldier killed at least 20 people with over dozen wounded in a shooting on Saturday in the northeastern city of Nakhon Ratchasima, health authorities said.

"There were 20 deaths, 31 wounded," said an unnamed official from Bangkok's Erawan Center -- the dispatch centre for the nationwide emergency services which collates hospital information.

Police contacted by phone in the city of Nakhon Ratchasima said the soldier, stationed outside the city, initially shot dead another soldier and a woman and wounded a third person.

The city and neighbourhood police officers, who asked not to be identified because they were not authorised to release information, said the man took a gun from his base and drove to the Terminal 21 mall, shooting along the way. The city is also known as Korat.

Video taken outside the mall and shared on social media showed people taking cover in a parking lot as gunshots were fired.

The mall was shut down and the street outside was closed while the authorities tried to arrest the gunman and rescue shoppers inside.

Defense ministry's spokesman Lt Gen Kongcheep Tantrawanich identified the suspect as Jakrapanth Thomma. He said police and military units had locked down the mall and the surrounding area.

With inputs from PTI