Two separate school shootings occur in southeastern Turkey

Within two days, Turkey experienced two separate school shootings in the southeastern region. On Tuesday, a 18- or 19-year-old former student attacked the Ahmet Koyuncu Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School in Siverek, Sanliurfa, injuring 16 people, including students, teachers, a cafeteria worker, and a police officer. The attacker, who used a shotgun or rifle, committed suicide after being cornered by police. On Wednesday, another shooting occurred at a school in Kahramanmaras, resulting in conflicting reports regarding the casualties; some sources report at least one death and six wounded, while others cite four fatalities and 20 wounded. The Kahramanmaras attacker was a student who used weapons belonging to his father and subsequently died. Officials confirm that school shootings are rare in Turkey and have launched comprehensive investigations into the motives and circumstances of both incidents. In the Siverek attack, five of the injured required transfer to hospitals in Sanliurfa for specialized treatment. Authorities safely evacuated students during the Siverek incident.