A bloody drama shook the southern Philippines in the early hours of Tuesday morning. An armed student opened indiscriminate shooting at a high school affiliated with the “Ateneo de Zamboanga“ university in Zamboanga City.
The city's mayor, Khemer Adan Olasso, confirmed to local radio station DZMM that two people were killed in the attack, both of whom were students at the school.
The shooter burst into one of the classrooms carrying a “powerful firearm“. According to police and the university administration, the attacker died at the scene during the incident. Two more people were injured and transported to the hospital. University President Ernald Andal issued an official statement reassuring citizens that the situation was under control and there was no active threat to the remaining children.
This is the second serious incident of school violence in the country in less than two months, after a similar attack in Tacloban City in June killed three teenagers. The Philippine Department of Education (DepEd) expressed deep concern and sent teams to provide psychological assistance to witnesses of the tragedy. Law enforcement agencies are continuing their investigation at the scene to determine the exact motive and the origin of the weapon.