Ten dead and 25 injured in mass shooting at a school and home in Canada
Ten people are dead and at least 25 left injured in a mass shooting in a remote town in Canada.
Six people were shot dead in Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and one person died on the way to the hospital.
Two more people were found dead inside a home in Tumbler Ridge, in British Columbia in western Canada.
The suspect – who the police said was described as female – was also found dead inside the school from ‘a self-inflicted injury’.
Pupils in the close-knit school described how they barricaded themselves inside their classrooms for two hours during what has become one of the deadliest school shootings in the country’s history.
Police first received a report of an active shooter at 1.20pm local time (9.20pm in the UK).
The emergency alert sent to Tumbler Ridge locals as the shooting unfolded described the suspect as ‘female in a dress with brown hair’.
At least two other people were rushed to hospital with serious or life-threatening injuries.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police say they believe the fatal shooting at the school and home are linked.
Around 100 students and staff were evacuated from the school after officers arrived at the scene.
Grade 12 (UK Year 13) student Darian Quist said an alarm sounded in the hallways shortly after he got to school.
He told CBC news that he and his classmates ‘got tables and barricaded the doors’ for over two hours until police escorted them out of the building.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was ‘devastated by the shooting’.
He added: ‘My prayers and deepest condolences are with the families and friends who have lost loved ones to these horrific acts of violence.
‘I join Canadians in grieving with those whose lives have been changed irreversibly today, and in gratitude for the courage and selflessness of the first responders who risked their lives to protect their fellow citizens.’
British Columbia Premier David Eby told reporters: ‘It’s hard to know what to say on a night like tonight. It’s the kind of thing that feels like it happens in other places and not close to home.’
Tumbler Ridge Secondary School has 160 students roughly aged 12 to 18, according to its website.
The school was closed for the rest of the week and counseling will be made available to those in need, school officials said.
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