Teacher dies after Thailand school shooting


Members of the forensic team and a police officer walk near the building inside Patongprathankiriwat School, where a gunman held an unknown number of students and teachers hostage, in Songkhla province, Thailand, February 11, 2026. REUTERS/Roylee Suriyaworakul

BANGKOK, Feb 12 (Reuters) - A ⁠female teacher died on Thursday in southern Thailand's ⁠Hat Yai district after a gunman opened fire ‌at a school where she worked, the provincial administration said on social media.

A 17-year-old used a firearm stolen from a police officer ​to shoot the teacher, identified as ⁠Sasiphat Sinsamosorn, at the ⁠Patongprathankiriwat School in Songkhla Province's Hat Yai district on Wednesday ⁠before ‌being detained by police.

A female student was also shot. Information about her condition has not yet ⁠been released.

Sasiphat, who also served as the ​school's director, was ‌taken to an intensive care unit for surgery ⁠but died ​at around 2 am due to internal organ injuries and significant blood loss, the health ministry said.

The school posted a ⁠message of condolence on its Facebook ​page, saying "although we have lost you, the memories and the goodness you left behind will remain in our heart forever."

Officials ⁠said the detained suspect, who has a sister at the school, has a history of substance abuse and was discharged from a psychiatric hospital in December.

Gun violence ​and ownership are not uncommon in ⁠Thailand. In 2002, a former police officer killed 36 people, ​including 22 children, in a ‌gun-and-knife attack at a nursery in ​the east of the country.

(Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat, writing by Panu Wongcha-um; Editing by David Stanway)

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