Russia school shooting: Multiple children killed in attack

Vladimir Putin has ordered an “urgent” tightening of gun laws after children and a teacher were killed and 20 hospitalised with a teenager detained.

Nine people including seven children have died after a school shooting in the Russian city of Kazan, according to officials.

Another 20 were hospitalised, 18 of them children, with six in intensive care, said regional spokesman Lazzat Khaidarov.

A 19-year-old suspect, who reportedly had a licence for the firearm, has been detained.

President Vladimir Putin has ordered an “urgent” tightening of gun control laws after the shooting on the first day of school after annual May holidays.

The attack at School No. 175 in Kazan, the capital of the predominantly Muslim Russian republic of Tatarstan, began at around 9.30am Tuesday local time, sparking panic among students and teachers.

Задержание одного из нападавших. Видео: Readovka pic.twitter.com/GsQmBFvTIM

— МБХ медиа (@MBKhMedia) May 11, 2021

RELATED: Birthday party shooting leaves seven dead

Rustam Minnikhanov, head of Tatarstan, told state media that the victims were a teacher, a female school employee and seven eighth-grade students (aged around 15) — four boys and three girls. He said the republic was “deeply saddened” by the “major tragedy” and described the detained assailant as a “terrorist”.

The ages of the injured people varied from seven to 62.

Video shared to Telegram seen by news.com.au showed students running from the building as gunfire could be heard.

In the same video, two people could be seen jumping from third storey windows of the school. Two students who jumped from windows died, state-run news agency RIA Novosti reports, citing an emergency services source.

Rusya'ya bağlı Tataristan Özerk Cumhuriyeti’nin başkenti Kazan’daki bir okulda yapılan silahlı saldırıda ilk belirlemelere göre 11 kişi hayatını kaybetti pic.twitter.com/BalSZKbjVo

— Medyascope (@Medyascopetv) May 11, 2021

Russia school shooting in #Kazan: there was an explosion inside School No.175 as well as the shooting. This video via @bazabazon shows a corridor in the aftermath pic.twitter.com/XABB5BI1bm

— Sarah Rainsford (@sarahrainsford) May 11, 2021

RELATED: Two women and four-year-old girl shot in Times Square

“Everyone started panicking and saying ‘shut the doors’,” a student who witnessed the attack told the Mediazona news website, according to a BBC translation. “About a minute later the head teacher started yelling: ‘We’re shutting the doors!’

“We got out about 15 minutes later, not out of the windows. I wanted to do that, but the teacher closed the window immediately and said no.”

State news agency TASS quoted a student as saying in the wake of the attacks: “I was in class, I first heard an explosion, then gunshots.”

Elena, a Kazan resident who said she was outside the school, told the Echo of Moscow radio station earlier in the day that law enforcement was clearing people from outside the premises.

“Parents are crying,” she told the radio station. “People are hysterical.”

Photos from the scene showed people gathered outside the school with dozens of police vehicles and fire engines nearby.

A woman wells up at a makeshift memorial for victims of the shooting at School No. 175 in Kazan on May 11. Picture: Natalia Kolesnikova / AFP

A horrific video shows students jumping from windows of the building as gunfire is heard.

Authorities declared a day of mourning on Wednesday as tearful locals laid flowers in tribute to the victims.

Putin offered his “deep condolences” and called for new gun laws.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin had ordered an “urgent” tightening of gun control restrictions in the wake of the shooting in Tatarstan, 820 kilometres east of Moscow.

“The president gave an order to urgently work out a new provision concerning the types of weapons that can be in civilian hands,” Mr Peskov said.

Russian media outlets identified the suspect as a graduate of the school named Ilnaz Galyaviyev, and reported that he had announced plans to carry out a shooting on social media.

Vladimir Putin has ordered a review of gun control laws. Picture: Natalia Kolesnikova / AFP

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin spoke of ‘great sorrow’ as Putin offered his condolences. Picture: Natalia Kolesnikova / AFP

Sevem children, a teacher and another school employee were killed in the horrific attack. Picture: Natalia Kolesnikova / AFP

One teacher said they were in class when they “heard an explosion, then gunshots”.

Footage from inside the building showed the school’s corridor littered with debris and dust after the attack.

Russia has relatively few school shootings due to normally tight security in education facilities and the difficulty of buying firearms legally.

Russian Prime Minster Mikhail Mishustin spoke of “great sorrow”.

The country has relatively few school shootings due to normally tight security in education facilities and the difficulty of buying firearms legally, but it is possible to register hunting rifles.

There were initial reports of two shooters, with one reportedly barricaded on the fourth floor of the building and killed, but officials later said a lone attacker was responsible.

—with AFP