A school sho0ting in the Philippines has left three people de@d and at least 17 others injured after a 16-year-old student allegedly opened fire at Banga National High School in South Cotabato.
According to local reports, the teenager opened fire at the school on Friday afternoon before turning the guπ on himself.
Banga town mayor Albert Palencia said at least 17 students were injured, with four of them in critical condition. He added that all the victims were students aged between 14 and 17.
“The suspect supposedly sat beside his friends and told them to go home ‘because, after lunch, I will be executing my plan’. His friends laughed because the sh00ter was a known joker,” Palencia told Reuters.
“After lunch, he started sho0ting students. He hit 10 students before k!lling himself,” Palencia added.
Local media initially reported conflicting casualty figures, but the death toll was later confirmed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, which deployed social workers to provide psychological support to the victims.
The Department of Education said it was “deeply concerned by the reported shooting incident,” adding that its immediate priority was the safety and well-being of learners, teachers and school personnel.
The department also urged the public to remain calm and avoid sharing unverified information while authorities investigate the incident.
Officials have not released details about the identity of the shooter, although local media published an image purportedly showing the gunman lying de@d on the ground.
Lessons have been suspended as police remain at the scene and continue their investigation.
The incident is reportedly the country’s third de@dly school incident since June.
Last month, a student allegedly live-streamed himself sho0ting and k!lling another student in a classroom in Zamboanga before taking his own life.
In June, at least three students were k!lled and about 20 others injured in an attack at a public high school in Tacloban, where two classmates allegedly opened fire on campus.