Update: Death Toll Of New School Shooting In S. Turkiye Rises To 9

ANKARA, April 15 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- The death toll of a school shooting in southern Türkiye's Kahramanmaras city on Wednesday has risen to nine, including eight students, several media reports cited Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci as saying, reported Xinhua.

Earlier in the day, Kahramanmaras Provincial Governor Mukerrem Unluer said at least four people were killed and 20 others injured in the incident, which occurred around 1.30 pm local time (1030 GMT) at Ayser Calik Middle School in the Onikisubat district, where the attacker entered two classrooms to carry out the attack.

The attacker, an eighth-grade student, committed suicide, shooting himself during the chaos, according to the latest report by local broadcaster NTV.

Unluer told reporters at the scene that the attacker, who targeted fifth-grade students, carried out the attack with five guns and seven magazines.

The weapons used by him are believed to belong to his father Ugur Mersinli, a former police officer, who has been taken into custody, according to several media reports.

Turkish Justice Minister Akin Gurlek announced an investigation into the incident.

Meanwhile, Ciftci and National Education Minister Yusuf Tekin have reportedly set off for Kahramanmaras.

A publication ban has been issued demanding press organisations "respect the confidentiality of the investigation", Gurlek said.

The incident took place just one day after a school shooting in the Siverek district in southeastern Türkiye's Sanliurfa province, where an attacker, armed with a shotgun, entered the campus and injured at least 16 people, mostly students, before taking his own life. The attacker was a former student at the school.  

-- BERNAMA-XINHUA