At least eight die in Russia school attack
A GUNMAN has attacked a school in the Russian city of Kazan, sending students running out of the building as smoke poured from its windows.
At least eight people were killed in the attack – seven eighth-grade students and a teacher – and 21 others were admitted to hospital, Russian officials said.
Footage released by Russian media outlets showed students dressed in black and white running out of the building.
Another video depicted shattered windows, billowing smoke and sounds resembling gunshots in the background.
Dozens of ambulances lined up at the school’s entrance after the attack and police fenced off access to the building.
Russian media said while some students were able to escape, others were trapped inside during the ordeal.
All students were eventually evacuated to nearby day care centres and collected by their families.
Officials said the attacker has been arrested and police opened a criminal investigation into the shooting.
Rustam Minnikhanov, governor of the Tatarstan republic where Kazan is the capital, said four boys and three girls, all eighth-grade students, died in the shooting. His press service later said a teacher was also killed.
“The terrorist has been arrested, he is 19 years old. A firearm is registered in his name. Other accomplices haven’t been established, an investigation is under way,” Mr Minnikhanov said after visiting the school.
Authorities said additional security measures were immediately put into place in all schools in Kazan, a city 430 miles east of Moscow.
They also announced a day of mourning today to honour the victims of the shooting, and said all lessons will be cancelled in Kazan schools.
According to Tatarstan health officials, 21 people were taken to hospital with wounds after the attack, including 18 children, six of whom were in “severely grave condition”.
While school shootings are relatively rare in Russia, there have been several violent attacks on schools in recent years, mostly by students.
Russian media said the gunman was a former student of the school who reportedly called himself “a god” on his account in the messaging app Telegram and promised to “kill a large amount of biomass” on the morning of the shooting.