Teacher dies after Thailand school shooting

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.

-Panarat Thepgumpanat/Reuters