BANGKOK: At least 34 people have been killed in an attack at a childcare facility in north-eastern Thailand, BBC reported.

More than 20 children are among the dead, with victims as young as two years old, it said.

The attack began when a man armed with a gun and a knife stormed into the childcare facility in Nong Bua Lamphu province, according to the report.

The gunman, who killed himself after the shooting, has been identified as former police officer Panya Khamrab

He was dismissed from the police force over drugs offences last year, police say

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has ordered an urgent probe into the attack and offered condolences to the families of the victims

Mass shootings are relatively rare in Thailand, although gun ownership is high for the region

(Inputs from BBC)