Three Killed and Eight Injured in Southern Philippines School Shooting
Three teenagers were killed and eight injured in a school shooting in the southern Philippines. The incident highlights growing concerns over rising gun violence in educational institutions.
Three teenagers aged 14 to 17 were killed on Friday in a fatal shooting at a high school in the town of Banga in the southern Philippines, including the 16-year-old suspect. Eight other people were injured in the incident, four of them in critical condition.
Provincial Governor Reynaldo Tamayo told Reuters that at least one person died and four were injured, but provided no further details about the perpetrator or the casualties. Police earlier confirmed that a shooting had taken place. Last month, a student live-streamed himself shooting another student dead inside a classroom in Zamboanga and immediately afterwards took his own life.
The incident follows two other school shootings that have occurred since June in schools in the southern Philippines. In the past, school shootings were rare in the Philippines, and the country's ministry of education stated that the situation is concerning.
In June, at least three students were killed and about 20 others were injured in an attack at a public high school in the port city of Tacloban in the Philippines, where two classmates opened fire on school grounds. The Philippines has relatively strict legal regulations for gun ownership, including background checks and psychological tests, but illegal weapons remain in circulation.
The incident also follows a high-profile event in Thailand in August, where a student went on a shooting rampage at a school on the outskirts of the capital, Bangkok.
