A school shooting rampage in southeastern Turkey has left at least 16 people injured after a former student opened fire with a shotgun.
Special security forces were deployed to the Ahmet Koyuncu Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School in the Siverek district of Sanliurfa province following the brutal attack on Tuesday.
Governor Hasan Sildak told local media that the gunman, 19, took his own life with his weapon when police attempted to capture him.
‘He took his own life when cornered by police,’ the governor said. ‘We have evacuated the school and will carry out a thorough investigation into this tragic incident,’ he added.
Sildak said the attacker was a former student of the school and entered the school grounds before he began firing randomly. The assailant had attended the school for one year in the ninth grade, the governor added.
He also confirmed that the attacker had no prior criminal record and that the school had previously been classified as safe by police.
Television footage showed ambulances standing by outside the school in the Siverek district as students fled the building in panic.
Following the incident, the wounded students and teachers were rushed to the hospital, with five later transferred to facilities in Sanliurfa city centre for further treatment, Sildak said.