In Turkey, a middle school student opened fire at a school, killing at least nine people, including students.

According to the Interior Ministry and other authorities, around 1:30 p.m. on the 15th (local time), a shooting took place at Aysercalik Middle School in Kahramanmaras in southern Turkey, leaving a total of nine people dead, including eight students and one teacher, and injuring 13. Six patients were classified as critical, and three of them were reported to be in life-threatening condition, raising the possibility that the death toll could increase.

The perpetrator was identified as Mersinli, a 14-year-old eighth-grade student at the school. He entered two fifth-grade classrooms and opened fire. The attacker died at the scene and appeared to have taken his own life, Governor Mukerrem Unluer of Kahramanmaras said.

The gunman carried a total of five firearms and seven magazines, and is believed to have brought to the school the guns and ammunition belonging to his father, a former police officer, hidden in his bag. Prosecutors have detained the father of the assailant for questioning. The specific motive is unknown.

Authorities announced that classes across Kahramanmaras would be suspended for two days on the 16∼17.

The previous day, a graduate stormed a high school in Sanliurfa in southern Turkey and fired a shotgun, injuring 16 people, including students and teachers.

In Turkey, individuals can receive permits to own and carry firearms if they undergo strict procedures that check mental health and criminal history.