A student has killed nine people in a school shooting in Turkey, the second such attack in just two days.
The incident happened on Wednesday in Kahramanmaras, where a 14-year-old opened fire inside a middle school.
Eight students and one teacher were killed. Thirteen others were injured, with six in critical condition, Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said.
“This was solely a personal attack carried out by one of our students, it is not a terror incident,” he said.
Governor Mukerrem Unluer said the attacker came to school with multiple weapons believed to belong to his father, a former police officer.
“An eighth-grade student came with 5 weapons and 7 magazines… entered two classrooms… causing deaths and injuries indiscriminately,” Unluer said.
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The suspect was killed during the attack. Officials have not confirmed how he died.
The motive is still unclear. Authorities say an investigation is ongoing, while local media report that the attacker’s father has been detained.
Witnesses described panic as the shooting unfolded.
“The sound of gunfire was very intense… there was panic in front of the school,” a reporter for NTV said.
Parents gathered outside the school in distress.
“My child witnessed the scene and said, ‘Dad, my friend got hurt’,” one parent, Omer Erdag, told AFP. “How am I going to bring my kids to this school again?” he asked.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered condolences, wishing a “speedy recovery to our children, our families, and our teachers.”
The attack comes a day after another shooting in nearby Sanliurfa, where a former student injured at least 16 people before killing himself.