Nine people have been killed in a remote part of western Canada, including seven who were shot at a secondary school and two others found dead at a residence, federal police said.
A person believed to be responsible for the killing in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, was found dead with what appears to be a self‑inflicted injury, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said on Wednesday AEDT.
Twenty-seven people were injured, including two with serious injuries and 25 with non-life-threatening injuries, the RCMP said in a statement.
Police said an alert was issued about an active shooter at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School on Tuesday afternoon.
Authorities searched the school and initially found six people, not including the suspect, who had been shot dead.
A seventh person who was shot at the school died while being transported to hospital.
Police "identified a secondary location believed to be connected to the incident, where two additional victims were located deceased in a residence," the statement said.
The RCMP statement did not include any details about the suspect.
"This was a rapidly evolving and dynamic situation, and the swift cooperation from the school, first responders, and the community played a critical role in our response," the RCMP's northern district commander Ken Floyd said in a statement.
"This has been an incredibly difficult and emotional day for our community," he added.
Tumbler Ridge is more than 1,100km north of Vancouver, British Columbia's largest city.
Readers seeking crisis support can ring Lifeline on 13 11 14 or text 0477 13 11 14, the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 and Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 (for young people aged up to 25). More information and support with mental health is available at beyondblue.org.au and on 1300 22 4636.
Embrace Multicultural Mental Health supports people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
This is a developing story and this article will be updated.
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