A 3-year-old girl who was napping under a blanket survived the Thailand daycare center massacre that left 37 people dead

• Paveenut Supolwong, 3, survived the recent massacre at a daycare center in northern Thailand.
• Her 11 classmates were murdered by a former police officer, who was armed with a gun and a knife.

A three-year-old slumbering with a blanket obscuring her face was one of the only survivors of last week's massacre at a daycare center in northern Thailand.

The parents of Paveenut Supolwong, nicknamed Ammy, told Reuters that their child was asleep when the attack took place.

More than 30 people were killed after a man armed with a gun and a knife barged into the daycare center in Nong Bua Lamphu and began attacking teachers and children who were taking their daily naps.

"I'm in shock," Supolwong's mother, Panompai Sithong, told Reuters. "I feel for other families... I'm glad that my kid survived. It's a mixed feeling of sadness and gratitude."

Sithong added that her child was not a deep sleeper and told Reuters she believed "there must be some spirits covering her eyes and ears."

The outlet reported that, according to Supolwong's parents, the girl appeared not to remember anything about the attack. She was found by an unnamed policeman in the classroom, who moved her out of the daycare center with a blanket over her head so she would not see her murdered classmates.

"She had no idea what was happening when she woke up," the toddler's grandfather Somsak Srithong told the BBC when the outlet visited the family's home.

"She thought that her friends were still asleep. A police officer covered her face with a cloth and carried her away from all the blood," Somsak Srithong added.

According to various news outlets, at least 37 people, including 24 children, were killed in Thursday's massacre — including the gunman's wife and son, who were later found dead.

The gunman, who killed himself at his home, was identified as a former officer who was dismissed for drug use and was due in court the day after the killings.