As many as 11 people are dead – most of them children – and 20 injured after a “terrorist” went on a school shooting rampage, it is reported.
Two students were said to have died of injuries they suffered when they jumped out of a third-floor window at school No175 in the city of Kazan.
Harrowing video shows terrified children jumping out of upper-floor windows to escape the massacre, while others climbed down ladders set up under windows.
The suspect, a 19-year-old man, had reportedly warned on his Telegram social media account that he was planning attack, writing in a chilling post: “You will all be done.”
Russian media, citing sources, claimed there were two gunmen – one who was killed by armed police after taking pupils hostage on an upper floor, and one who was arrested as the mass shooting unfolded.
But local police denied claims there was a second gunman.
Pupils described scenes of chaos and confusion as the sound of an explosion “thundered” through corridors, followed by gunshots as the killer or killers went from room to room during the attack.
Wounded and bloodied children were treated on the floor outside the school, where parents were seen in tears, before being rushed to hospital.
A male was seen in handcuffs as he was led away from the school by armed police. It is said that he was carrying a gun when he was detained and he had obtained a gun licence just 13 days ago.
The suspect reported to be a former student who graduated four years ago.
There was confusion over the death toll, with the regional president saying seven children were killed, and various reports claiming the death toll was nine or 11.
Rustam Minnikhanov, president of the oil-rich Tatarstan region, called the suspect a “terrorist” as he confirmed four boys and three girls in the eighth grade were among the dead.
As he visited the school in the aftermath, he told reporters that the suspect was a 19-year-old man who had a firearm registered in his name, and there was no confirmation that a second shooter was involved.
The rampage began when a shooter armed with an automatic firearm walked through the main entrance and immediately opened fire, a source told Russia’s Tass news agency.
Pupils and staff ran out of the school in terror as gunfire erupted and police and paramedics raced to the scene, and distraught parents soon began gathering across the road to find out if their children were okay.
It is said that doctors were able to save a ten-year-old boy whose heart stopped beating after he was shot in the head, chest and limbs.
Police reportedly found at least two unexploded bombs in the school, which has more than 1,000 students.
The suspect who was arrested by police told officers he had a bomb inside his home, which was evacuated a short time later, according to reports.
One pupil told local media: “We were sitting on the third floor, we had a history lesson.
“Suddenly, in the middle of the lesson, the headmistress starts shouting into the loud speaker so that no one would open their doors.
