Four people are dead, including an 11-month old baby, after gunmen opened fire at a tea shop in southern Thailand on Tuesday.

The victims were two men, a woman and a baby girl.

Another four people were wounded in the attack.

Police said they suspect the attackers were separatist insurgents, but no one has claimed responsibility.

Witnesses described seeing at least three gunmen arrive in a pickup truck and open fire at the busy shop.

The bloodshed comes after authorities stepped up security following a series of attacks on teachers which started in late November.

A separatist insurgency by ethnic Malays resurfaced in 2004 after decades of tensions.

Since then over 5,000 people have been killed, according to Deep South Watch, an organisation which monitors the violence.