OREANDA-NEWS  More than 30 people, most of whom were kids, were killed in a gun and knife attack at a children’s center in northeast Thailand on Thursday, local police said.

A total of 22 children were among the victims of the massacre in Nong Bua Lamphu Province.

The man who shot and stabbed people inside the facility fled the scene and went to his home, where he murdered his family before committing suicide.

Thai law enforcement have identified the perpetrator as a former police officer who was recently released from service.

Local media reported that the man had been sacked from the force due to drug problems and may have been under the influence at the time of the attack.