Ten people – including the killer – have died in one of Canada’s worst mass shootings.
Six victims were found dead at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, a rural community in British Columbia, while a seventh died on the way to hospital.
The body of the attacker – believed to be a woman – was also found at the school.
Royal Canandia Mounted Police confirmed two other people were found dead inside a nearby home.
Authorities said more than 25 are injured, including two in a life-threatening condition, after the school shooting.
The town of Tumbler Ridge, which has a population of about 2,400 people, is more than 600 miles north of Vancouver, near the border with Alberta.
The Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has described the shooting as “horrific” and suspended a planned trip to Germany in the wake of the tragedy.
An alert was sent to residents of the mining town at 1.20pm local time (9.20pm GMT) warning of an active shooter.
The warning described the shooter as a “female in a dress with brown hair”, and police have confirmed the deceased suspect matches that description.
Officials say they know the attacker’s identity, but have not yet publicly revealed their name or gender.
The connection between the school and the residence has also yet to be revealed.
Officials haven’t said what kind of gun was used or what the motive was.
The town is so remote that there are very few pictures from the scene yet
RCMP said in a statement: “As part of the initial response to the active shooting, police entered the school to locate the threat. During the search, officers located multiple victims.
“An individual believed to be the shooter was also found deceased with what appears to be a self-inflicted injury,”.
“Six additional individuals, not including the suspect, have been located deceased inside the school.
“Two victims have been airlifted to hospital with serious or life-threatening injuries. A third victim died while being transported to hospital.”
The provincial government website lists Tumbler Ridge Secondary School as having 175 students from Grades 7 to 12.
In a press conference, RCMP Chief Superintendent Ken Floyd said it was too soon to say whether the death toll is likely to rise.
“The scene was very dramatic, and there were multiple victims that are still being cared for,” he said.
Chief Supt Floyd confirmed that around 100 students and staff were evacuated from the school after officers arrived responding to calls about an active shooter.
He also declined to say how many of the victims were children.
On the question of motive, Chief Supt Floyd said: “I think we will struggle to determine the ‘why’, but we will try our best to determine what transpired”.
