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School Shooting in Philippines Kills Three
Confirmed
In Short: A shooting at Banga National High School in the southern Philippines left three people dead and six injured, including the suspected 16-year-old gunman.
A shooting at Banga National High School in the southern Philippines on Friday left at least three people dead and six others injured, including the suspected gunman, a 16-year-old student.
According to local officials, the suspect began shooting students after lunch, hitting 10 people before turning the gun on himself.
The incident follows two other deadly school shootings in the Philippines since June, making this the third such attack in recent months.
Local mayor Albert Palencia said all the victims were students aged between 14 and 17, with at least three in critical condition.
Police are investigating the shooting, and the circumstances surrounding the attack remain unclear.
Background
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of about 7,641 islands, with a total area of about 300,000 square kilometers.
A school shooting is an armed attack at an educational institution, involving the use of a gun. Many school shootings are also categorized as mass shootings due to multiple casualties.
What's confirmed
- MANILA, Philippines -- A shooting at a high school in the southern Philippines on Friday left at least three young people dead and six others injured, including the gunman, a local official said.
- “After lunch, he started shooting students. He hit 10 students before killing himself,” Palencia added.
- At least eight people were also injured in the country’s third deadly school shooting since June.
- "He is a student of that school, grade nine," Tamayo said, adding that at least three people were being treated for gunshot wounds at a local hospital.
- Local rescuers received a call about gunfire on the campus of Banga National High School in South Cotabato province in Mindanao at about 1.30pm.
- In a video posted to Facebook and confirmed by AFP, a man can be seen carrying what appears to be a wounded child from the school, rushing him into the sidecar of a waiting motorbike.
What's still developing
- Rolly Doane Aquino, a provincial disaster response official in South Cotabato province, said three people were killed and six others were hospitalized after the shooting at Banga National High School in the town of Banga.
- The education department said in a statement it was "deeply concerned" by the reported incident which took place on Friday afternoon at Banga National High School.
- "Our immediate priority is the safety and well-being of our learners, teachers and school personnel," the education department said, adding it was coordinating with authorities to verify the incident and provide necessary support.
- Classes have been suspended "in all levels in the entire municipality of Banga" due to the shooting, disaster management authorities said in a statement.
- The Philippines Red Cross said it was alerted to the incident at 14:00 local time (06:00 GMT) and had dispatched an ambulance with four paramedics to provide life-saving assistance.
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- Gun crime is not uncommon in the Philippines, which has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the region.
- CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less The incident follows two fatal gun incidents since June at schools in the Philippines, where school shootings were previously rare.