Wednesday, April 15, 2026

School shootings in Turkey are rare

Nine dead and 13 injured in second school shooting in Turkey this week, governor says


By Burcu Basaran & Gavin Blackburn
Published on 

It comes a day after an ex-student opened fire at his former high school in Siverek in southern Şanlıurfa province, wounding 16 people including students before killing himself in a showdown with police.

A school shooting in southern Turkey on Wednesday left nine people dead and 13 wounded, a local official said, just one day after an incident in which a shooter wounded 16 people and then killed himself.

Kahramanmaraş provincial governor Mükerrem Ünlüer said a teacher and three students were killed in the attack at the Ayser Çalık Secondary School.

"A student came to school with guns that we believe belonged to his father in his backpack. He entered two classrooms and opened fire randomly, causing injuries and deaths," Ünlüer told reporters.

Witnesses quoted by the media said the gunshots heard at the school were intense.

Parents who heard about the incident rushed to the school. Police have increased security measures around the building, and television footage showed ambulances present in the area.

Turkish security forces and emergency staff stand at the courtyard of a high school where an assailant opened fire in Siverek, 14 April, 2026 AP
 

Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said the local prosecutor's office launched an immediate investigation into the shooting.

It comes a day after an ex-student opened fire at his former high school inSiverek in southern Şanlıurfa province, wounding 16 before killing himself in a showdown with police, officials said.

The attack left 10 students, four teachers, a canteen employee and a police officer wounded, Governor Hasan Şıldak said.

"The individual was cornered inside the building through police intervention and died after shooting himself," Şıldak told reporters, adding that a "comprehensive" investigation into the shooting would be carried out.

School shootings in Turkey are rare.

No comments: