Nine dead, 13 wounded in school shooting southern Turkey

• A school shooting in southeastern Turkey left four people dead and 20 others injured, according to local authorities.
• Officials say the attacker was a middle school student who used firearms belonging to his father.

A shooting at a middle school in southern Turkey has left nine people dead and 13 others wounded, local authorities said on Wednesday, in a case that has shocked the province of Kahramanmaraş.

Read more: Two dead, three wounded as missile intercepted in Abu Dhabi

The assailant, identified by officials as a middle school student, also died during the incident, bringing the total death toll to nine.

Death toll rises, critical injuries

Providing updated casualty figures from the city of Kahramanmaras, Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci stated: "We regret to report nine deaths... and 13 wounded. Six of them are currently in intensive care, three of whom are in critical condition."

Earlier in the day, provincial Governor Mukerrem Unluer had initially reported a lower toll of four dead - including a teacher -and 20 wounded, before the full severity of the incident and updated figures were confirmed. The young shooter also died during the incident.

Student Used Father’s Weapons

Detailing the circumstances of the massacre, local authorities confirmed the 13-year-old assailant carried out the attack using weapons belonging to his father. Governor Unluer detailed to reporters that the guns had been carefully concealed inside the student's school bag before he opened fire on the campus, sending shockwaves through the local community.

Read more: Woman among four more Iranians sentenced to death over protests: NGOs

Investigation Underway

Local authorities have launched an investigation into the incident, focusing on the circumstances that allowed the student access to the weapons.

Officials are expected to review school security measures and firearm storage protocols as part of the ongoing probe.

Second school shooting in two days

The devastating event in Kahramanmaras marks the second school shooting to strike Turkey in just two days. On Tuesday, a former student armed with a shotgun opened fire at his old high school in the Siverek district of Sanliurfa province. That attack left 16 people wounded before the shooter killed himself during a standoff with police.