BANGKOK (AP) — A 12-year-old schoolgirl succumbed to severe injuries on Saturday after a fellow student carried out a shooting at a high school and at his home outside Bangkok a day earlier, raising the confirmed death toll to at least eight.

Authorities said the 14-year-old suspect began firing around 10 a.m. Friday at Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Nonthaburi province, just northwest of the capital, before apparently taking his own life. Earlier that morning, he is believed to have fatally shot his two grandparents at their residence.

The injured girl, a seventh grader, died in hospital, according to the Health Ministry. On Friday, the school had issued a public appeal for blood donations for two wounded students, including her.

Fourteen victims remain hospitalized, with seven listed in critical condition as of Saturday, the ministry reported. Most of the injured are between 12 and 14 years old.

Family members retrieved eight bodies from Bangkok’s Institute of Forensic Medicine, including five school employees, the alleged gunman, and his grandparents. Emergency personnel carried a coffin to an ambulance that will transport the remains to their hometowns for funeral ceremonies.

The body of the young girl has not yet been released.

Wiroon Supasingsiripreecha, who leads the forensic institute, said the majority of victims sustained a single fatal gunshot wound to vital organs such as the chest or head.

He added that the wound found on the suspected shooter matched the firearm recovered at the scene. Comprehensive forensic examinations, including toxicology analyses, are still pending.

Officials stated that the small, easily concealable firearm used in the attack was legally registered to the boy’s grandfather.

There have been suggestions that the teenager, who lived with his grandparents, had experienced stress related to school. However, some relatives told local media they were unaware of any serious problems.

The coeducational public school, which enrolls roughly 3,000 students aged 12 to 18, announced that classes would be suspended from Aug. 10 to 14. Faculty and staff have been instructed to work remotely during this period.

On Saturday morning, a small number of mourners placed flowers at the school gate as police officers maintained a presence nearby.

Charin Siriananchai visited the site with his two sons, ages 9 and 6, to express their condolences. Although his children do not attend the school, he lives close by and drives past it daily, often pausing to let students cross the street.

“People are deeply saddened and shocked. No one expected something like this to happen here, and the loss is immense,” he said.

Some parents also arrived with their children to retrieve belongings left behind during the chaos. One father, who requested anonymity, said his son had been on campus at the time and remained traumatized, unable to sleep alone.

Thailand ranks among the countries with the highest levels of civilian gun ownership in Asia, second only to Pakistan and significantly higher than many neighboring nations.

A major international study conducted in 2017 estimated that civilian gun ownership in Thailand stood at approximately 15.1 firearms per 100 people, compared with fewer than one per 100 in nearby Malaysia.

Statistics published in 2023 indicate that Thailand records 3.49 firearm-related deaths per 100,000 people. While lower than figures in parts of Latin America and the Caribbean, this rate is considered relatively high within Asia, with only the Philippines reporting higher numbers in Southeast Asia.

Although mass casualty shootings are not frequent, the country has witnessed several prominent gun-related incidents in recent years.

In February, a 17-year-old seized a firearm from police and opened fire at a public high school in southern Thailand, holding individuals hostage during a two-hour standoff that left one person dead and two injured.

In 2023, another 14-year-old was charged in connection with a shooting at a major shopping center in Bangkok.