Live Updates: Thai Police Chief Confirms Mall Shooter Is Dead, Police Operation Over

The gunman who killed at least 21 people in Thailand, was killed by the security forces on Sunday, Reuters reported citing police sources.

At least 63 people were injured in the mass shooting at the shopping mall in the Thai city of Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand’s Health Ministry said in a bulletin.

According to the information from the ministry, released by the Thai Public Broadcasting Service, all the 63 people injured by the gunman have been taken to city hospitals.

According to Thai Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, 21 people were killed by the gunman, including one special forces policeman. Two other special forces servicemen were injured, the minister said.

"The perpetrator is still in the basement and it doesn't look as though he has hostages. We are getting close to him," Reuters quoted an anonymous police officeras saying.

The number of dead in a firefight at the shopping mall in the Thai city of Nakhon Ratchasima has risen to 25 people, Thairath TV channel reported.

According to the channel, another four people died in the mall on Saturday. Their bodies have been discovered by special forces during the operation to subdue the shooter, which is ongoing.

Thailand’s Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has confirmed the killing of one special forces serviceman in a shootout with the gunman at the shopping mall in the city of Nakhon Ratchasima.

In a public statement made in the early hours of Sunday, broadcast by Thai PBS, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said that a special forces policeman was killed in a shootout with the gunman at the mall. He became the 21st victim of the mass shooting, according to the minister.

The gunman who carried out a mass shooting in a shopping mall in the northeastern Thai city of Nakhon Ratchasima killed one special forces serviceman and injured another when leaving the mall, Thairath TV reports..

Thairath TV later said that according to preliminary information from the Thai military, one special forces serviceman was killed in the shootout that occurred at the mall’s parking garage. Another special forces serviceman was injured.

A Thai soldier who started a shooting rampage in northeastern Thailand managed to leave the shopping mall after a shootout with special forces, Thairath TV broadcaster reported.

The man entered into a shootout with special forces in the multi-storey car parking of the shopping center, after which he shot at a gas cylinder, setting it on fire, and disappeared from the building, the broadcaster's correspondent reported from the scene.

Automatic gunfire was heard from the shopping mall where according to the police the shooter who killed 20 people might be hiding, Reuters said citing a witness.

Thai special forces examined all four floors of the main part of the Terminal 21 shopping centre building and found neither the shooter who killed 20 people on Saturday or the hostages he is believed to be holding, according to the English-language website of the Khaosot newspaper.

The huge building of the shopping centre consists of several parts, including a multi-level car park.

"We don't know why he did this. It appears he went mad", defence ministry spokesman Kongcheep Tantrawanit told reporters.

The mother of the Thai soldier who on Saturday killed scores and is now holed up with 16 hostages in a shopping mall arrived at the scene to convince her son to surrender, Thairath news channel reported.

A soldier who claimed to know the shooter told Thai Rath news channel that police went to Thomma’s mother as soon as his identity was established.

Commander in Chief of the Royal Thai Army Apirat Kongsompong could be seen arriving outside the Terminal 21 shopping mall.

The Thai shooter killed at least 20 people in the city of Nakhon Ratchasima in the northeast of Thailand, defence ministry spokesman Kongcheep Tantrawanit told reporters.

Police and soldiers have stormed into the Korat shopping centre where a soldier has been on a shooting rampage and helped hundreds of people to escape, said defence ministry spokesman Kongcheep Tantrawanit.

"Hanuman" police commandos arrive in Korat city after a 40-minute helicopter ride from Bangkok to assist in an operation to kill or capture a gunman who murdered at least 12 people in a shooting rampage. #กราดยิงโคราช #Thailand https://t.co/1qWp0y3VQy pic.twitter.com/LZKaa0OMEI

— Khaosod English (@KhaosodEnglish) February 8, 2020

"Our hearts go out to the victims, their families and the community affected by this tragedy in Thailand. There is no place on Facebook for people who commit this kind of atrocity, nor do we allow people to praise or support this attack", a Facebook representative said in a statement.

"We have removed the gunman's accounts from our services and will work around the clock to remove any violating content related to this attack as soon as we become aware of it".

There are "17 deaths, 14 wounded" in a shooting Saturday in the northeastern city of Nakhon Ratchasima, an official from Bangkok's Erawan Centre told reporters.

📌เปิดวงจรปิด จับภาพคนร้ายกราดยิงประชาชนและตำรวจ โดยมีอาวุธสงครามครบมือ ก่อนหนีเข้าไปในห้างสรรพสินค้าเทอมินอล 21 โคราช #กราดยิงโคราช #Tempo pic.twitter.com/2ZUlgu8OBX

— TEMPO (@The_TEMPO_News) February 8, 2020

ขณะนี้คนร้ายยังอยู่ในพื้นที่ห้าง Terminal 21 โคราช ยังคงก่อเหตุกราดยิงและเกิดเพลิงไหม้ภายในห้าง ขอให้ประชาชนในระแวกใกล้เคียงระมัดระวัง
ขณะนี้เจ้าหน้าที่ทุกภาคส่วน รวมถึง "กองปราบ" กำลังปฏิบัติหน้าที่อย่างเต็มกำลัง pic.twitter.com/UHpWZPnNEi

— กองปราบปราม (@CSDThailand) February 8, 2020

Thai special forces are reportedly preparing to storm the shopping centre in Korat where a soldier has taken hostages.

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has stated that he is following the shooting incident, and has asked the police to capture the attacker as soon as possible.

According to the spokeswoman Narumon Pinyosinwat, the head of government extended condolences to the families of the victims and ordered local authorities to swiftly arrest the attacker.

VIDEO # 10: #Thailand #MassShooting #Korat

pic.twitter.com/24QDPnjY3R

— 🏴‍☠️ FJ 🏴‍☠️ (@Natsecjeff) February 8, 2020

Active shooter in Korat, Thailand. The suspect was armed with an assault rifle, killing more than 10 innocent people right now. #กราดยิงโคราช #shooting #korat pic.twitter.com/Ko0Z7WOoeV

— Lattébbrook👨‍🚀™️ (@lattebbrook) February 8, 2020

The soldier has allegedly taken hostage about 16 people in the shopping mall.