Jonathan Head
BBC South East Asia Correspondent

I’ve just landed in Udon Thani. It’s a 45 minute drive to the hospital at Nong Bua Lamphu, where the survivors of the attack are being treated.

There is complete disbelief here in Thailand that anyone could have killed so many young children like this, and plenty of speculation about what drove the former police officer to do it.

The gunman's own son attended the centre.

The police say he was on trial on drugs charges. But it's still so hard to believe.

At least 38 people have been killed in today's attack in northern Thailand, police have confirmed at a news conference.

Image source, Getty Images

Global leaders have been offering their sympathies to the families of the victims of this morning's attack.

UK Prime Minister Liz Truss tweeted, external that she was "shocked to hear of the horrific events in Thailand this morning".

"My thoughts are with all those affected and the first responders. The UK stands with the Thai people at this terrible time," she added.

Australian leader Anthony Albanese wrote, external that it was "impossible to comprehend the heartbreak" and said "all Australians send their love and condolences".

Here's a more detailed map showing the location of the attack in north-eastern Thailand.

The tragic attack which targeted many children took place at a child development centre in Uthai Sawan town, Nong Bua Lamphu province.

In video footage filmed near the scene of the attack, familes can be seen gathering for news of the victims and injured.

Ambulances have been taking some of those injured in the attack to a local hospital.

Image source, Getty Images

Thailand's prime minister says he has ordered an immediate investigation into today's attack.

In a message posted to Facebook, Prayuth Chan-ocha said he had ordered the police commander to "fast-track an investigation" into how the tragedy had occurred.

He also condemned the "horrifying" attack and offered his "deepest condolences to the families of the lost and injured".

More information is emerging about the weapons the attacker had with him at the scene of the shooting.

The gunman was armed with a shotgun, a pistol and a knife, according to Thailand's public broadcaster.

He is also reported to have driven his vehicle into bystanders.

The injured - at least a dozen people - have been taken to Nong Bua Lamphu district hospital.

Local media had posted an appeal for people to donate blood, and the hospital now says it has enough supplies.

Some pictures are now emerging from the scene of this tragedy, with police investigators combing through the childcare centre.

People who appear to be family members of victims can be seen at the location.

Other footage from a local hospital shows emergency services rushing victims to hospital.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, AFP

The gunman had been to a court hearing on a drugs charge before he launched his attack, a police spokesperson told reporters.

The former officer was discharged from the police force last year for drug use.

Police are giving more details about what happened.

The gunman became agitated after arriving at the nursery to find his child was not there, officers say.

He subsequently opened fire on and crashed his vehicle into a crowd of bystanders, before returning home and killing his wife and child, police spokesman Paisan Luesomboon said.

Eyewitness Paweena Purichan, 31, told the AFP news agency that she had encountered the gunman driving erratically after the attack.

"He intended to crash into others on the road," she said. "The attacker rammed a motorbike and two people were injured. I sped off to get away from him."

She added that the gunman was well known in the local area as a drug addict.

Thai police are asking people not to share pictures and videos of the shooting and the victims on social media.

Extremely graphic footage and still images purported to be from the scene are circulating on social media.

General Achayon Kraithong says sharing such material is likely to affect people's mental health.

Later videos appear to show parents arriving at the nursery, with armed police present.

Jonathan Head
BBC South East Asia Correspondent

This is a profoundly shocking incident for Thailand, a country which has relatively high levels of gun violence but rarely experiences mass shootings involving schools and children.

At this stage the motive of the former police officer who the authorities say carried out the shooting is unclear, but they say he was recently dismissed from the police force.

He apparently killed his family, as well as the victims in the day centre and then himself. The last such incident in Thailand was the killing of 29 people in a shopping centre by a soldier in 2020.

That incident raised serious questions about the security of firearms in army bases.

At this stage no-one knows what led to this terrible incident; it is relatively common for people to own firearms in Thailand and a former police officer would have little difficulty acquiring a gun.

The death toll now stands at at least 34 people, multiple reports say.

At least 12 more people have been wounded.

Three of the children killed were aged two, Reuters reports quoting a local police official.

More than 20 children died in the attack, reports say.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has expressed his deepest condolences to the victims' families and described the shooting as a "shocking" event.

"My deepest condolences to the bereaved and injured families."

In his Facebook message, he also ordered all emergency agencies to the scene.

Thai police are confirming media reports that the gunman has shot himself dead.

Local media are also reporting he killed his family after fleeing the attack at the nursery.

Mass shootings in Thailand are rare although the rate of gun ownership is relatively high for the region.

Illegal weapons are also common, according to the Reuters news agency.

In 2020 a soldier killed 29 people and injured dozens more in the city of Nakhon Ratchasima.

He had been angry over the result of a property deal.

Some more detail is emerging about the attack.

About 30 children were inside the building when the shooter approached just after lunchtime, a district official told Reuters.

He shot four or five staff - including a teacher who was eight months pregnant, Jidapa Boonsom told Reuters news agency.

"At first people thought it was fireworks," she said.

The shooting took place in the largely rural Nong Bua Lamphu province in northern Thailand, about 500km (310 miles) north of Bangkok.

Image source, .