Several people are feared dead, with more injured, after a man opened fire at a college in western Finland.
Several people are feared dead, with more injured, after a man opened fire at a college in western Finland.
Police said the gunman, thought to be a 22-year-old student, was then disarmed, but local media say he shot himself.
Police said the gunman, thought to be a 20-year-old student, was then disarmed, but local media say he shot himself.
He was carrying an automatic weapon and wearing a ski mask when he entered the college in Kauhajoki, reports said.
He was carrying an automatic weapon and wearing a ski mask when he entered the college in Kauhajoki, reports said.
Last November a student shot dead eight people at a school in Tuusula. Gun ownership in Finland is among the highest in the world.
Last November a student shot dead eight people at a school in Tuusula. Gun ownership in Finland is among the highest in the world.
Media reports said the shootings began Tuesday just before 1100 local time (0800 GMT), when some 200 students were in the building.
In last year's incident, the gunman, Pekka-Eric Auvinen, posted a video on YouTube as a macabre preview of his attack, pledging to "eliminate" those he saw as "unfit".
Ski mask
Ski mask
Tuesday's shootings in Kauhajoki, some 330km (205 miles) north of the capital, Helsinki, began just before 1100 local time (0800 GMT).
An estimated 200 students were thought to be in the college buildings at the time.
A BBC correspondent in Finland said a gunman dressed in black was seen at the school, apparently carrying an automatic weapon.
A BBC correspondent in Finland said a gunman dressed in black was seen at the school, apparently carrying an automatic weapon.
A man with a ski mask was seen entering the building with a large bag, national broadcaster YLE reported. Shots were fired soon afterwards.
A man with a ski mask was seen entering the building with a large bag, national broadcaster YLE reported. Shots were fired soon afterwards, and reports emerged that several people were seriously wounded.
Police ordered an evacuation and called for reinforcements, with local reports saying the country's heavy weapons squad was heading to Kauhajoki.
At least one injured girl was seen leaving the school covered in blood, our correspondent says, while police said some of the injured were taken away from the scene and treated nearby.
Police ordered an evacuation and called for reinforcements, as local reports said the country's heavy weapons squad was heading to Kauhajoki.
The gunman remained at large within the college grounds for some time before police apparently restrained and disarmed him.
The gunman remained at large within the college grounds for some time before police apparently restrained and disarmed him.
"I just heard from the police radio that the shooter has been caught. He no longer has a gun," a police spokesman told the AFP news agency.
"I just heard from the police radio that the shooter has been caught. He no longer has a gun," a police spokesman told the AFP news agency.
But hospital sources and the mayor of the town were later quoted as saying the attacker had turned his gun on himself.
But hospital sources and the mayor of the town were later quoted as saying the attacker had turned his gun on himself. There was no confirmation of his condition.
There were reports of a fire at the site and of at least one injured girl leaving the school covered in blood, our correspondent says.
In the wake of the 2007 attack, Finland's government pledged to raise the minimum age for buying guns after Auvinen's attack. But the country has a long tradition of hunting and weapons-bearing, with about 1.6 million firearms in private hands, the Associated Press reports.
Are you in Kauhajoki? Did you witness the incident? Send us your comments using the form below:
Are you in Kauhajoki? Did you witness the incident? Send us your comments using the form below:
