Several Casualties Recorded as Gunman Opens Fire at High School Before Killing Himself
- A former student opened fire at a vocational high school in Siverek, Turkey, injuring at least 16 people before killing himself
- Victims included students, teachers, a staff member, and a police officer, with several transferred for advanced medical care
- Turkish authorities launched a full investigation as security forces evacuated the school and contained the situation
A shooting at a vocational high school in southeastern Turkey has left at least 16 people injured after an 18-year-old former student opened fire before taking his own life.
The incident occurred in Siverek, located in Sanliurfa Province, where the attacker reportedly entered the school premises armed with a shotgun and began firing indiscriminately.
Source: Getty Images
Authorities confirmed that the suspect later retreated into the building, NBC reported.
Casualties include students and teachers
Governor Hasan Sildak said the attack injured 10 students, four teachers, a canteen worker, and a police officer. Most victims were treated in local medical facilities, while several with more serious injuries were transferred to a hospital in the provincial capital.
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Emergency responders and security personnel were quickly deployed to the scene as panic spread across the school compound. Witness footage circulating online showed students fleeing through the gates in large numbers as the situation unfolded.
Security forces, including special operations units, surrounded the school after the gunman refused to surrender. Authorities said the suspect was eventually contained within the building.
“The individual was cornered inside the building through police intervention and died after shooting himself,” Sildak told reporters, adding that a “comprehensive” investigation into the shooting would be carried out.
Source: Getty Images
Officials confirmed that all students were safely evacuated following the incident. The motive behind the attack has not yet been determined.
School shootings are uncommon in Turkey, making the incident particularly alarming for local communities. Authorities have begun a full investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the attack and any possible warning signs prior to the incident.
Security measures in schools may come under review as officials assess the broader implications of the shooting.
Dozens dead as military transport crashes after takeoff
Earlier, Legit.ng reported grief spread across southern Colombia on Monday, March 23, after a military transport aircraft went down moments after departure, killing at least 66 people and injuring dozens more.
The aircraft was carrying 128 passengers, most of them soldiers, when it crashed near Puerto Leguizamo, a remote town close to the borders with Ecuador and Peru.
The head of the armed forces, Hugo Alejandro López Barreto, confirmed the death toll and said four service members were still unaccounted for.
“Sadly, as a consequence of this tragic accident, 66 of our military elements died,” he said. He also noted that investigators had found no evidence of hostile action.
“At the moment, we have no information, or indications, that it was an attack by an illegal armed group,” Barreto added.
6 US service members die in plane crash
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that six United States service members were confirmed dead after a military aircraft crashed in western Iraq, the US military said Friday, March 13.
The aircraft crashed on Thursday, March 12, during a mission linked to ongoing operations in the Middle East, marking another fatal incident amid heightened regional deployments.
Source: Legit.ng
