Children killed, many wounded, in Russian school shooting

At least eleven people have been killed in a shooting in a school in Russia on Tuesday, according to news reports from the country.

Russia’s Interior Ministry tweeted a statement Tuesday morning in which it said, “This morning Tatarstan police receive a message that in School 175 in Kazan the sound of shots were heard. According to preliminary information, there are dead and wounded.”

“Police and other law enforcement officers immediately went to the scene. The attacker was detained by officers of the patrol service. The law enforcement operation is still ongoing at the school. Every effort is being made to ensure the safety of the students. A counter-terror regime has been implemented.”

The shooting took place at the school in Kazan, a city in the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia.

Media reports are conflicting over the exact circumstances around the incident; AP news agency cited the governor of the Tatarstan Republic as saying that four male and three female eighth-grade students had died in the shooting. Twelve more children and four adults were hospitalized in the attack, Governor Rustam Minnikhanov said.

It had been reported earlier that nine people — one teacher and eight pupils — had been killed, while the identity of the perpetrators and motivation for the attack are still unknown.

“Unidentified persons opened fire at school #175 … and there was also an explosion,” RIA reported.

News agency TASS also reported that two unknown perpetrators opened fire at a school, citing an unnamed law enforcement source. “According to preliminary information, two unknown perpetrators opened fire,” the source stated.

Tass reported that 21 ambulances had been dispatched to the school. The ages of the school children are unknown. RIA has reported that one of the attackers has been detained and the other neutralized.

This is a breaking news story please check for further updates.