Nine killed in second Turkish school shooting in two days

Kathryn Armstrongand
Ian Casey
News imageReuters An ambulance leaves the scene following a deadly school shooting, in the southeastern province of KahramanmarasReuters
Ambulances and police vans were seen outside the school, as well as tearful parents rushing towards the school

At least eight students and one teacher have been killed and several others injured following a shooting at a school in southern Turkey, Interior Minister Mustafa Cifci has said.

The incident happened at Ayser Calik Secondary School in the Kahramanmaras area, where Cifci said 13 people were also wounded, leaving six in critical condition.

A 14-year-old attacker was also killed during the incident, officials said.

It comes a day after 16 people were injured after an ex-student opened fire at another high school, also in the south of the country, before killing himself.

News imageReuters A group of people stand on the pavement trying to catch people jumping from a first-floor window in a three-storey building.Reuters
People were seen escaping through the school's windows

The motive of Wednesday's attack is not yet known and an investigation has been launched.

Turkish media reported that the attacker, believed to be a student, entered two classrooms and had five guns and seven magazines with him.

Local governor Mukerren Unluer alleged the weapons belonged to the student's ex-police officer father.

The attacker's father has since been detained by police, according to local media.

In video verified by the BBC people could be seen appearing to jump from the first floor windows of the school and run from the premises as the attack took place.

"The sound of gunfire was very intense," a reporter for Turkish broadcaster NTV said, adding that there was "panic in front of the school".

After news of the shooting broke, tearful parents gathered outside of the building.

"My child witnessed the scene and said, 'Dad, my friend got hurt'", parent Omer Erdag told AFP news agency.

"How am I going to bring my kids to this school again?" he asked.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he wished for a "speedy recovery to our children, our families, and our teachers" in a post on X.