A champion Paralympian swimmer killed four people including his bride before turning the gun on himself at his own wedding reception.

Chaturong Suksuk, 29, a disabled former solder, was married to his girlfriend of three years Kanchana Pachantuek, 44, in a traditional wedding attended by overjoyed family and friends in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, on November 25.

The ceremony was followed by a wedding party, but guests said Chaturong appeared to be in a sour mood after a row with his new bride 'about insecurities over his disability'.

He was said to have stormed out of the venue - only to return with a 9mm firearm and open fire at Kanchana and her family - leaving a bloodbath with bodies strewn across the dance floor. He then put the gun in his mouth and shot himself in the brain.

Police Colonel Rungroj Tang-amnuay, chief of the Wang Nam Khiao District Police Station, said the shooting left five people dead.

The casualties were identified as the bride Kanchana, her mum Kingthong Klajorho, 62, her younger sister Kornika Manator, 38, a guest Thong Nonkhunthod, 50, and the bridegroom Chaturong who shot himself in the head.

Another guest, Bamrung Chaterarat, 28, was seriously injured and rushed to the hospital.

Police Colonel Rungroj said: 'Chaturong was a former paramilitary ranger who had lost his right leg in a train accident while on duty. He had been living together with the bride for three years before they got married.'

Chaturong was also a paralympic athlete who had won a silver medal competing at swimming at the 11th ASEAN Para Games in Indonesia last year.

Local media said witnesses reported that the row was sparked by Chaturong's insecurity over his disability. The guests allegedly said he grew angry because he feared his attractive wife might leave him for other men.

A neighbour, 70, said: 'I heard the loud shots and thought they were just setting off firecrackers for the party. It was only in the morning that I learned what happened. I'm devastated. I've known the couple for a long time and I was like a mother to them.'

Buddhist monks offered incense and prayers at the couple's house, and a funeral for the deceased was held at the Wat Luang Rat Bamrung tempel on November 26.

Meanwhile, the injured guest Bamrung was reported to have undergone surgery to remove the bullet in his body. He was recovering at a hospital.

The tragedy came just days after Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin signed an order to stop issuing gun licenses for a year in a bid to curb gun violence in the country.

The official had vowed to tighten gun control in Thailand, which has one of the highest gun ownership and gun homicide rates in Asia, following a shocking mall shooting in which a teenage gunman opened fire at shoppers at a Bangkok mall in October.

Chaturong competed in shooting for the Thai national team and swimming freestyle. He won a silver medal in the 11th ASEAN Para Games swimming competition in Indonesia in 2022.