Thailand recoiled in horror on Thursday after at least 36 people were killed, at least 24 of them children, in a massacre at a childcare center in northeastern Thailand believed to be the country’s deadliest incident of its kind.   

  Authorities immediately launched a manhunt for the suspected attacker, who was later identified by Thailand’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CIB) as Panya Kamrab, a 34-year-old former police officer.  According to the Royal Thai Police, he was suspended from police duty earlier this year in connection with drug possession charges.   

  Among the dozens of victims are Panya’s wife and stepson, whom investigators say he killed before killing himself.   

  His 2-year-old stepson was enrolled in the preschool he attacked Thursday, but was not present during the attack, according to a local police chief.   

  “(Panya) went to look for his two-year-old son, but the boy wasn’t there … so he started shooting and stabbing people in the kindergarten,” police spokesman Major General Paisan Luesomboon told CNN.   

  Then Panya “managed to get into a room where 24 children were sleeping together,” killing all but one.   

  “He also used a knife to stab both the children and the staff at the centre,” Paisan said.   

  One of the center’s teachers described a horrific scene to local media, explaining that the attacker entered the center around noon while two other staff members were having lunch.   

  “Suddenly I heard what sounded like firecrackers.  So I looked back [and] the two rods just collapsed to the floor,” said the teacher.   

  “Then he pulled another gun from his waist … I didn’t expect him to kill the children as well,” they said.   

  The teacher also said the attacker was carrying a second gun, as well as a knife, which he used to fatally stab another teacher, who was eight months pregnant.   

  An eyewitness told Reuters he believed the attacker was coming to take his child.  When he got to the center, he “didn’t say anything” and “shot at the door while the kids were sleeping,” she said.   

  Most of the deaths were the result of “stab wounds,” Paisan told CNN.   

  A teacher also told Reuters that the attacker had mainly used a knife.   

  “Everything fell very quickly.  He was cutting the knife, he didn’t use the gun, he was still digging in there.  Everything is made of a knife,” he said.   

  Police Major General Damrongsak Kittiprapas said the attacker “mainly used a knife” to kill the children.   

  “He then went out and started killing anyone he met along the way with a gun or knife until he reached the house,” Damrongsak said.  “We surrounded the house and then found that he had committed suicide in his home.”   

  The massacre took place at the Child Development Center in Uthaisawan Na Klang district of Nong Bua Lamphu province, according to a statement by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who called the incident “shocking” and offered his condolences to the families of the victims.  .   

  The province, located about 540 kilometers (about 335 miles) northeast of Bangkok, is a mostly peaceful and quiet area and not known for violence.   

  Prayuth will travel to the province on Friday to meet with the families of the victims, according to a statement from his office.   

  The Royal Thai Police said Panya was due to receive a verdict in his ongoing case for alleged possession of methamphetamine on October 7.   

  In an earlier undated search of his residence, police found a Yaba tablet at his home, they also said.  Yaba is a combination of methamphetamine and caffeine, which is a tablet that is usually crushed and smoked, known locally as ‘crazy drug’.   

  Charges of possession of a “Schedule 1” drug led to his suspension from police duties in January.   

  Gun ownership in Thailand is relatively high compared to other Southeast Asian countries.   

  There were more than 10.3 million firearms in Thailand, or about 15 guns for every 100 people, according to 2017 data from the Switzerland-based Small Arms Survey (SAS).  About 6.2 million of these guns are legally registered, according to the SAS.   

  Thailand ranks as the Southeast Asian country with the second highest gun homicide rate after the Philippines, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) in the University of Washington’s Global Burden of Disease 2019 database.   

  In a statement, UNICEF said it was “shocked” by the tragedy and sent its condolences to the families affected.   

  He condemned the attack, saying: “No child should be a target or witness to violence anywhere, anytime,” adding, “Preschools, schools and all learning spaces must be safe havens for young children to learn, to play and grow.  in their most critical years”.   

  UK Prime Minister Liz Truss said in a tweet that she was “shocked to hear the horrific events” and said her “thoughts are with all those affected and first responders”.   

  “The UK stands with the Thai people at this terrible time,” he said.