Grieving families mourn through night in temples after 23 children massacred at Thailand nursery

Mourning ceremony will continue in Uthai Sawan for three days before royal-sponsored funerals

Relatives of victims gather at the Wat Rak Samakee temple (Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images)

Grief-stricken families bearing candles and toys have gathered at temples in Thailand to mourn the loss of the 23 children massacred by an ex-police officer in a gun and knife rampage at a nursery.

Relatives of the children, aged two to five, were joined by members of their devastated community in paying their respects at three Buddhist temples in the northeastern Nong Bua Lam Phu province – in the aftermath of what is one of the world’s worst recent child death tolls at the hands of a single killer.

They lit candles in front of coffins adorned with floral wreaths and framed photographs of the smiling children murdered in the rampage, while others laid offerings of toys to their spirits outside the nursery where they were killed.

Several mourners stayed overnight in the tradition of keeping company those who die young. Pensiri Thana, the aunt of one of the children, said: “All the relatives are here to make merit on behalf of those who died ... It is our belief that we should be with them so they are not lonely.”

A mourning ceremony will continue in the village of Uthai Sawan for three days before the royal-sponsored funerals, which will culminate in the cremation of the bodies according to Buddhist tradition.

On the coffin of the youngest victim – nicknamed Captain, after a famous actor – was a model dinosaur and a bottle of milk. His mother, 40-year-old factory worker Daoreung Jamnongnid, said her only child was energetic and talkative, and already knew the alphabet despite being two months shy of three years old.

“He was so smart. He liked to watch documentaries with his father,” Ms Jamnongnid said.

Police identified the attacker as Panya Khamrap, a 34-year-old former police sergeant in Bangkok who was facing trial on a drugs charge. Police say his autopsy found no evidence of drug use at the time of his death.

The last of his 38 victims were his own wife and child at home, before turning his gun on himself. The children were mostly knifed to death while adults were shot, police said.

While Khamrap’s motive may never be known, deputy police chief Surachet Hakpan suggested it was “because of his constant stress... his family, his money and his legal cases. So he acted aggressively”.

Members of the community take part in Buddhist prayers (Lillian SUWANRUMPHA/AFP via Getty Images)

Kittisak Polprakan, a 29-year-old who witnessed the killing spree, described Khamrap as being calm as he emerged from Young Children's Development Centre, having slashed nearly two dozen toddlers with a large curved blade, adding: “It was so quiet. There was no noise, no screaming, nothing. It was only him who walked out.”

Three boys and two girls survived his attack, though all but one of them were in hospital, police said.

Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida visited hospitals where those wounded in the attack were being treated, meeting with grieving families late on Friday in a rare public appearance.

“It is a tragedy that this evil thing has happened,” the king told reporters. “But right now, we have to think of what we can do to improve things to the best of our ability.”

“There are no other words to describe this feeling,” he added. “I want to give you all moral support to be strong, so that the souls of those children can have a sense of relief that their families will remain strong and be able to move forward.”

Prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said he was concerned about trauma in the community after the tragedy and “asked everyone to support each other and get through this brutal loss together,” his spokesperson said.

At the Wat Rat Samakee temple, preparations were being made for funerals, with hundreds of villagers dressed in black, sitting on carpets with hands clasped before the caskets.

“It was just too much. I can't accept this,” said the grandmother of a slain four-year-old boy, sitting on a bamboo mat in the oppressive heat as relatives gave her water and mopped her brow.

Villagers pour water in front of coffins during the Buddhist washing ritual for the victims (AP Photo/Wason Wanichakorn)

Meanwhile, Thailand’s Channel 8 broadcast what it said was the killer’s cremation – attended by only a few people – at a temple in the neighbouring province of Udon Thani, after Buddhist temples in Uthai Thani refused to host his funeral.

Three monks chanted as a woman the broadcaster identified as his mother wept, carried out a traditional bathing ritual, and said final words in front of a white coffin.

The Manager newspaper reported that she implored his spirit: “When you're born in the next life, don't kill anyone. I love you, son. If you had any problems, why didn't you talk to me? Don't do this again. I've made merit for you. Go to heaven, my son.”

A crematorium worker then lit joss sticks and said a brief prayer before igniting the flame and pushing the door shut, as smoke billowed out.

The woman, who identified herself as “grandma Duang”, asked the media to convey her sorrow about those killed. “I’m thinking of them,” she said, her face blurred to protect her identity. “My heart is almost shattered.”

Additional reporting by agencies