A shooting at a school in British Columbia left eight dead including a woman police believe to be the suspect, with two more people found dead at a nearby home, Canadian authorities said on Tuesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said more than 25 people are injured, including two who were airlifted to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, after the shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School.
School shootings are rare in Canada.
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 provincial government website lists Tumbler Ridge Secondary School as having 175 students from Grades 7 to 12.
British Columbia premier David Eby told reporters that police officers reached the school within two minutes.
RCMP Superintendent Ken Floyd told reporters that investigators had identified a female suspect but would not release a name, and that the shooter’s motive remained unclear.
“We are not in a place to understand why or what may have motivated this tragedy,” Mr Floyd said.
He added that police are still investigating how the victims are connected to the suspect.
“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,” RCMP said in a statement.
The statement added that seven people, including the suspect, were found dead at the scene, and an eighth died while being transported to a hospital.
Two more were found dead at a home police believe to be connected to the attack.
