BANGKOK, Feb 9 (Reuters) - A Thai soldier who went on a rampage in a northeastern city that ended in a standoff in a packed shopping mall killed 26 people and wounded at least 52, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said on Sunday.

The soldier was motivated by a grudge over a land deal in which he felt he had been cheated, said Prayuth, who travelled to the northeastern city of Nakhon Ratchasima to visit wounded survivors.

The soldier was killed by armed forces after an overnight siege at the Terminal 21 shopping centre in the city. (Writing by Kay Johnson; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)