Former student wounds 16 in Turkey school shooting before killing himself

At least 16 people were wounded when a former student opened fire at a vocational high school in southeastern Turkey on Tuesday before killing himself as police closed in , officials said.

The 18-year-old gunman, armed with a shotgun , carried out the attack at Ahmet Koyuncu Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School in the Siverek district of Sanliurfa Province, authorities said.

Governor Hasan Sildak said the attacker began firing indiscriminately in the schoolyard before entering the building , sparking panic as students and staff scrambled to escape.

Among the injured were 10 students, four teachers, a canteen worker and a police officer , officials said. Most victims were treated in hospitals in Siverek, while five people with more serious injuries were transferred to medical facilities in the provincial capital of Sanliurfa.

Authorities said the suspect, born in 2007 and previously enrolled at the school , had no known criminal record. Security forces, including police special operations units , rushed to the campus, evacuated students and surrounded the building after the gunman refused to surrender.

Officials said the attacker was eventually cornered inside the building and died after shooting himself . Television footage from the scene showed ambulances outside the school as frightened students ran out through the gates.

Authorities said the motive for the attack remains unclear , and Turkey’s Interior Ministry has launched a comprehensive investigation into the incident, including how the gunman gained access to the campus. School shootings are considered rare in Turkey.