Flags were flown at half-mast in Thailand last week. On Thursday, a former police officer in Nong Bua Lamphu stormed into a kindergarten and shot and stabbed. The massacre killed 37 people, including 24 children.
Only one little girl survived: Emmy (3) apparently slept so well that she didn’t notice the shooting.
Police officer committed suicide after crime
“When she woke up, she didn’t know what was going on,” her grandfather Somsak Srithong (59) told the BBC. “She thought her friends were still asleep.” The perpetrator Panya K. * († 34) stormed into the institution around 12.30 pm during the afternoon rest.
According to authorities, the former police officer fled the building after his crime, continued firing from his car and hit several people. He also killed his wife, his child and eventually himself, various media report. Drug offenses would have been the reason for the perpetrator’s dismissal from the police.
When the police arrived, they found Emmy motionless among the bodies. Officers immediately rescued the girl, covering her face with a cloth while she was being carried so that the little girl wouldn’t see the dead, Emmy’s grandfather said.
“I hugged her tight”
Emmy’s mother Panompai Srithong, 35, initially couldn’t believe that her daughter had survived. First she was told that all the children had been murdered. “Bild” reports that rescuers had to calm the shocked woman.
When it was said that her daughter was still alive, only a video call from Emmy convinced her, “I was so incredibly relieved,” she says. Emmy’s grandfather is also very grateful, telling the BBC: “I hugged her very tightly when I first saw her.”
Relatives and friends of the family celebrated Emmy’s survival on Sunday. “I’m glad my child survived,” the mother said, according to Reuters. “But I mourn with other families. My feelings are a mixture of sadness and gratitude.” (Hi)
* Name known