Turkey: At least eight students and one teacher have been killed, with several others injured, following a tragic school shooting in southern Turkey, according to Interior Minister Mustafa Cifci.
The attack took place at Ayser Calik Secondary School in the Kahramanmaras region. Officials confirmed that 13 people were wounded, six of whom remain in critical condition. Authorities said the 14-year-old attacker was also killed during the incident. The motive behind the shooting remains unclear, and an investigation has been launched.
The incident comes just a day after another shooting at a high school in southern Turkey, where 16 people were injured after an ex-student opened fire before taking his own life, raising serious concerns about school safety in the region.
Kahramanmaraş’ta gerçekleşen, tüm Türkiye’yi derinden üzen silahlı saldırıdan etkilenen tüm vatandaşlarımıza, tüm ailelerimize, özellikle sevgili yavrularımıza geçmiş olsun dileklerimi iletiyorum.
Bu elim saldırıda maalesef pırıl pırıl evlatlarımızı ve fedakâr bir eğitimcimizi…
— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) April 15, 2026
Local media reports suggest the attacker, believed to be a student, entered two classrooms armed with five guns and seven magazines. The weapons are alleged to have belonged to his father, a former police officer. The father has since been detained for questioning.
Videos verified by international media showed scenes of chaos, with students attempting to escape by jumping from first-floor windows as gunfire rang out. Witnesses described intense panic both inside and outside the school premises.
Grief-stricken families gathered outside the school following the attack. One parent, Omer Erdag, said his child witnessed the violence firsthand. Omer Erdag stated that, “My child said, ‘Dad, my friend got hurt’… How am I going to bring my kids to this school again?.“
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed his condolences, wishing a speedy recovery to our children, families, and teachers in a statement shared on social media. The back-to-back incidents have intensified calls for stricter security measures and a deeper investigation into rising violence in schools across the country.
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