At least eight students and one teacher were killed in a shooting at a middle school in southern Turkey on Wednesday, the country’s interior minister said, marking the second school shooting in two days.
The attack took place at Ayser Calik Secondary School in the Kahramanmaras area, where Interior Minister Mustafa Cifci said 113 people were also injured, leaving six in critical condition.
A 14-year-old attacker was also killed during the incident, officials said.
The shooting came a day after 16 people were injured when a former student opened fire at another high school in southern Turkey, before killing himself.
The motive for Wednesday’s attack is not yet known, and an investigation has been launched.
Turkish media reported that the suspected attacker entered two classrooms carrying five guns and seven magazines, adding that the weapons belonged to his father, a former police officer, who was later detained.
Verified footage showed people attempting to escape by jumping from first-floor windows as gunfire rang out. A reporter for Turkish broadcaster NTV described the gunfire as “very intense”, adding that there was “panic in front of the school”.
One parent, Omar Erdag, told AFP that his child witnessed the attack.
“My child saw everything with his own eyes. He said my friend was injured,” Erdag said.
“How will I send my children back to this school now?” he added.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a post on X that he wished “our children, families and teachers a speedy recovery.”