Turkiye Mourns Victims of Second School Shooting in One Week

Funerals held for victims of school shooting in Kahramanmaras, Turkiye

A funeral procession was held on Thursday for eight students and maths teacher Ayla Kara, who lost their lives in a school shooting at the Ayser Calik School in Kahramanmaras city. The Associated Press news agency reported that the victims were killed on Wednesday.

In addition to the eight fatalities, a 10th victim died while receiving medical treatment on Thursday. Six of those injured in the attack are currently in critical condition, officials said.

The shooting was carried out by Isa Aras Mersinli, a 14-year-old student who opened fire on two classrooms at the school. The attacker was later found dead.

Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci stated that the attacker used firearms belonging to his father, a former police officer.

At a funeral for four of the victims near Kahramanmaras city’s main mosque, mourners gathered to pay their respects. One father sat beside the coffin of his 10-year-old daughter, Zeynep, who was among those killed.

The incident is the country’s second school shooting in two days, following an attack at a high school in Sanliurfa province on Tuesday. A former student carried out the attack, injuring 16 people.

As of Thursday, 20 people had been detained in connection with Tuesday’s shooting in Sanliurfa. The interior and education ministries held a joint meeting to discuss school security, attended by ministers, provincial governors, police chiefs, and education directors.

In response to the incident, dozens of students were arrested on Thursday over alleged social media posts suggesting they might stage similar attacks. Justice Minister Akin Gurlek announced that 67 social media users had been detained for making posts targeting 54 different schools.

Source: Al Jazeera