Thais mourn for shooting victims

Grieving relatives of 29 people murdered by a rogue soldier in Thailand held tearful Buddhist prayer ceremonies yesterday, as fresh details emerged of shoppers cowering in terror while the gunman stalked the mall.

Holding portraits of their relatives and dabbing away tears, families of the victims arrived at a city morgue in Nakhon Ratchasima in the morning to carry home coffins bearing their dead.

The gunman Sergeant-Major Jakrapanth Thomma was shot dead by a commando unit Sunday morning, ending a rampage that left 29 dead and scores more wounded.

The killer started his killing spree on Saturday afternoon with weapons stolen from a barracks’ arsenal, where he gunned down Mehta Lertsiri, 22, who was guarding the depot.

After seizing the weapons, the shooter drove to a Buddhist temple, where blood splatters and bullet holes attested to the horrors that unfolded. The attacker then moved to the town centre mall, where a terrifying siege unfolded late Saturday.

Armed with automatic weapons, the gunman held out overnight as hundreds of shoppers sought refuge in toilets, storerooms and under tables -- staying silent or making a break for the exits when they could.

Flowers and messages of condolences piled up yesterday outside the bullet-riddled mall.