Swedish police say about 10 people killed in shooting at adult education centre
Orebro (Sweden), Feb 4 (AP): Swedish police said that about 10 people were killed during a shooting Tuesday at an adult education centre.
The damage at the crime scene was so extensive that investigators were unable to be more definitive on the death toll, said Roberto Eid Forest, head of the local police. The shooting happened on the outskirts of the city of Orebro, which is located about 200 km (125 miles) west of Stockholm.
The school, called Campus Risbergska, serves students who are over age 20, according to its website. Primary and upper secondary school courses are offered, as well as Swedish classes for immigrants, vocational training and programs for people with intellectual disabilities.
It wasn't immediately clear whether the gunman was among the dead. He was believed to be among those hospitalised. Police said that there were no suspected connections to terrorism at this point.
Police didn't immediately know how many people were wounded. Authorities were working to identify the deceased.
Gun violence at schools is very rare in Sweden. But there have been several incidents in recent years in which people were wounded or killed with other weapons such as knives or axes.
The shooting erupted after many students had gone home following a national exam. Police vehicles and ambulances, lights flashing, blanketed the parking lots and streets around the school as a helicopter buzzed overhead.
Teacher Lena Warenmark told SVT News that there were unusually few students on the campus Tuesday afternoon after the exam. She also told the broadcaster that she heard probably 10 gunshots.
Students sheltered in nearby buildings. Other parts of the school were evacuated following the shooting, which began at around 12:30 pm local time (1130 GMT).
Andreas Sundling, 28, was among those forced to barricade themselves inside the school.
“We heard three bangs and loud screams,” he told Expressen newspaper while sheltering in a classroom. “Now we're sitting here waiting to be evacuated from the school. The information we have received is that we should sit and wait.”
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said that it was “a very painful day for all of Sweden,” Swedish media reported.
“My thoughts are also with all those whose normal school day was exchanged for terror,” Kristersson said. “Being confined to a classroom with fear for your own life is a nightmare that no one should have to experience."
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4.4 magnitude quake hits northern Pakistan
Islamabad (PTI): A 4.4 magnitude earthquake jolted parts of north and northwestern Pakistan on Saturday, the second tremor to hit the country in as many days.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
The earthquake that struck at 9:30 am (local time) originated at a depth of 14 kilometres with its epicentre located 11 kms northeast of Burhan, Attock, according to the National Seismic Monitoring Centre, Islamabad.
Tremors were felt in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well as in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
The Saturday morning quake came less than 24 hours after a 5.9 magnitude temblor struck parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces, with tremors felt in several cities, including Peshawar and Islamabad, on Friday.
The epicentre of that quake at 6:09 pm (local time) was in Afghanistan's Hindu Kush region at a depth of 101 kilometres.
Earthquakes are common in northern Pakistan due to its location in the Himalayas where the Indian and the Eurasian tectonic plates meet.
Earlier, a 5.6-magnitude earthquake hit Balochistan province on February 13 but no loss to life or property was reported there too. Its epicentre was 86 kms northeast of Khuzdar town of the province.
The quake was preceded on the same day by another tremor of magnitude 3.8 that struck 75 kms southeast of Khuzdar at a depth of 33 kms.
The worst quake the country suffered was in 2005, which killed about 74,000 people.
