Türkiye on Wednesday extended condolences to Canada after 10 people, including the suspected gunman, were killed in a shooting in the town of Tumbler Ridge in the western province of British Columbia.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of life resulting from the shooting that took place yesterday (Feb. 10) at a school in the province of British Columbia, Canada,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“We extend our condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this heinous attack and to the people of Canada, and we wish a speedy recovery to the injured,” it added.
Earlier, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said nine victims and one suspect died in the shooting, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).
Six people were found dead inside Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, one person died while being transported to the hospital, and two others were found dead at a residence in the community believed to be connected to the shooting, it reported.
Police said the suspect was found dead inside the school from "a self-inflicted injury."
The attack is the second-deadliest school shooting in Canada’s history, after a December 1989 shooting at Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal that left 14 people dead.
Tumbler Ridge, a town of about 2,400 people in western Canada, is located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, roughly 680 kilometres (422 miles) from the US border.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
