Thailand: Hostage taking and shooting leaves 8 dead.

At least eight people were killed in a hostage situation that occurred today (July 11) in Krabi province, southern Thailand.

According to police sources, a gunman stormed a house and took eight people, including a child, hostage. He then shot and killed all eight hostages and wounded three others.

Police found five people dead at the scene and three more died on the way to the hospital. Photo: Twitter

Initial investigations suggest the motive for the hostage taking was a personal dispute.

Thailand is one of the countries with a relatively high rate of gun ownership. Statistics from the Thai Ministry of Home Affairs show that approximately 6.1 million Thais are registered gun owners in the country, not including those who own guns but do not register them.

Recent statistics released by the University of Washington show that Thailand has the highest rate of gun-related deaths among 10 Asian countries, 50% higher than the Philippines – the country with the second highest rate of gun ownership in Asia.

According to VOV