Thursday 6 October 2022 12:55 PM Thailand rampage: Anthony Albanese sends heartfelt message to Thailand after 35 ... trends now Anthony Albanese has issued a heartfelt message on behalf of Australia to the people of Thailand, where a former policeman has killed at least 35 people in a horrific rampage. Armed with a shotgun, a pistol and a knife, Panya Khamrap stormed a Thai nursery, where he butchered sleeping children and executed a pregnant woman before shooting dead his family. He shot dead multiple adults including an eight-month pregnant woman, before forcing his way into a locked room decorated with animal pictures where he stabbed sleeping children as young as two to death. The 34-year-old, who had been in court earlier today on drugs charges, arrived at the nursery and was agitated to find his child was not there and started the massacre at the kindergarten 300 miles northeast of Bangkok. He continued the attack in nearby streets, shooting at bystanders and trying to run over panicked pedestrians as he fled in a white van which he torched at his home before killing his wife and child and turning the gun on himself. The Australian prime minister expressed his sadness about the unfolding tragedy on Thursday night. Two distraught women console each pother outside daycare centre in Thailand where 35 people, mostly killed have been killed Anthony Albanese issued a statement on behalf of Australia on Thursday night 'It’s impossible to comprehend the heartbreak of this horrific news from Thailand. All Australians send their love and condolences,' Mr Albanese tweeted. Foreign minister Penny Wong has also issued a statement. 'I am devastated to learn of reports of a shooting at a childcare centre in Nong Bua Lamphu, Thailand. Our hearts break for the families and the community. Our thoughts are with them, and the people of Thailand, during this incredibly difficult time,' Senator Wong said. In total, 35 people have been killed along with the shooter. 24 bodies, including 19 boys, three girls and two adults were found at the nursery. A further adult and young boy were killed outside the centre in a government office. At the shooter's house, one boy and four adults were found dead, and another adult at a nearby building was also killed. Three further adults were taken to hospital where they were pronounced dead, and 12 more are being treated for injuries. Khamrap was fired from the force last year after failing a drugs test, and he appeared in court today prior to the shootings. Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese (pictured with partner Jodie Haydon) described the news from Thailand as incomprehensible Panya Khamrap stormed a Thai nursery (pictured), where he butchered sleeping children and executed a pregnant woman Panya Khamrap (pictured) shot dead his wife and son at the end of his brutal rampage in Thailand Among the dead are at least 24 children and multiple teachers after the brutal massacre carried out by a former policeman who then took his own life Dozens of blood-soaked bodies were scattered across the floor and in the grounds outside the nursery In total, 35 people have been killed. 24 bodies, including 19 boys, three girls and two adults were found at the nursery The exterior of the children's daycare centre is seen after the attack today where dozens were slaughtered The suspect has been named by police as Panya Khamrap (pictured) who was fired from the force last year after failing a drugs test Grieving relatives weep after hearing the news of the brutal killings which saw dozens killed in Thailand A manhunt was launched after the massacre at the nursery but police could only arrive to find the shooter and his family already dead at his home A grief stricken woman is comforted on the floor outside the nursery in the wake of the bloodbath The massacre occurred in Nong Bua Lamphu, in the northeast of the Southeast Asian country Police spokesperson Paisan Luesomboon told broadcaster ThaiPBS the gunman had been at a court hearing in connection with a drug case earlier on Thursday and had gone to the daycare centre to find his child, but the child was not there. 'He was already stressed and when he couldn't find his child he was more stressed and started shooting,' Paisan said. A huge manhunt was launched after the massacre at the nursery but police could only arrive at the shooter's home to find his burned-out pickup truck and his family already dead inside. About 30 children were at the centre when the gunman arrived, fewer than usual, as heavy rain had kept many people away, district official Jidapa Boonsom, who was working in a nearby office at the time, told Reuters. The man first shot four or five staff, including a teacher who was eight months pregnant, Jidapa said. 'At first people thought it was fireworks,' she added. 'It's really shocking. We were very scared and running to hide once we knew it was shooting. So many children got killed, I've never seen anything like it.' The gunman escaped in a white four-door Vigo pickup truck and the bumper fell off as he fled. A teacher who survived the massacre at a nursery in Thailand told how the killer pointed the gun at her head but she climbed over a wall to escape. She said: 'I knew it was a gun because I heard multiple gunshots, and then I saw him put in the bullets and point the gun at me. 'I called the teacher, and the teacher was hugging the child. He kicked the mirror and I climbed the walls and asked for help. 'He was inside the child centre for a long time. He used a knife and cut all the kids' heads. He was carrying a small gun. He escaped in a white four-door Vigo pickup truck and the bumper fell off as he fled The prime minister alerted all agencies to take action and apprehend the culprit (pictured) A witness (pictured) said she heard multiple gunshots and saw the gunman kill her colleagues Medical staff carry out a victim on a stretcher from an ambulance at the hospital in Nong Bua Lam Phu A distraught woman is led away from the site of an attack at the daycare centre 'I didn't know he was going to kill the kids. I thought he was gonna come out but he stayed inside a long time. He used a knife and stabbed all the kids. 'He also stabbed a pregnant teacher. Only few months til she gives birth. He stabbed my staff. That's all I know. Eyewitness Paweena Purichan, 31, was riding her motorcycle to her shop when she encountered the fleeing Panya driving erratically. 'He intended to crash into others on the road,' she told AFP. 'The attacker rammed a motorbike and two people were injured. I sped off to get away from him.' 'There was blood everywhere.' Paweena said the attacker was well known in the area as a drug addict. People gather outside the daycare centre after the mass shooting in the town of Uthai Sawan A pair of relatives comfort each other after the horrific massacre with children as young as two among the dead Frantic family members wept and watched outside the nursery school building Thailand forms part of Southeast Asia's so-called Golden Triangle which has long been an infamous hotspot for the trafficking and abuse of drugs. Surging supplies of methamphetamine have sent street prices crashing in Thailand to all-time lows, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. The prime minister had alerted all agencies to take action and apprehend the culprit, a government spokesperson said, before they found his dead body. PM Prayuth Chan-ocha said it was a shocking incident and sent condolences to the families of the victims. He said: 'Concerning this horrifying incident... I would like to express my deepest sorrow and condolences to the families of the dead and injured.' Police Major General Achayon Kraithong said the shooting happened in the town of Nongbua Lamphu early in the afternoon. People stand around at the nursery in shellshock after the horrific killings Khamrap was allegedly fired from the force after failing a drugs test, and was due in court tomorrow National Police Chief Damrongsak Kittiprapat speaks with his police operation team after the attack The mass killing comes less than a month after a serving army officer shot dead two colleagues at a military training base in the capital Bangkok. While Thailand has high rates of gun ownership, mass shootings are extremely rare. Official figures do not include huge numbers of illegal weapons, many of which have been brought in across porous borders over the years from strife-torn neighbours. But in the past year, there have been at least two other cases of shooting murders by serving soldiers, according to the Bangkok Post. In 2020, in one of the kingdom's deadliest incidents in recent years, a soldier gunned down 29 people in a 17-hour rampage and wounded scores more before he was shot dead by commandos. That mass shooting, linked to a debt dispute between gunman Sergeant-Major Jakrapanth Thomma and a senior officer, triggered public anger against the military. The soldier was able to steal assault rifles from an army depot before embarking on his killing spree, posting live updates on social media as he did so. Military top brass were at pains to portray the killer as a rogue soldier. All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility