5 shot in attack at Swedish school, one seriously injured: police

HELSINKI -- Swedish police confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that at least five persons have been shot and one seriously injured in a school shooting in Orebro, central Sweden.

One of the injured is the suspect shooter, announced local police at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon. Earlier Swedish media reports had claimed the shooter had taken his or her own life. The police also said they could not exclude the possibility that there were more suspects.

Four out of the five victims have been taken to hospital, with one of these being seriously injured. In addition, several people received non-serious injuries.

Swedish Radio has given the total number of injured as around fifteen, and said several persons were killed in the school shooting.

However, the police declined to comment on whether anyone had been killed, as the investigation is still ongoing.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told Swedish Radio that the incident is "very painful" for the country, and his thoughts are with those for whom a normal day of studies had turned into one of terror.

"To be locked in a classroom with fear for one's own life is something no one should experience," said Kristersson.

The school, called Risberska Skolan, is an education center that mainly serves adults over the age of 20 but also offers primary and secondary school courses and Swedish language classes for immigrants. It is located about 200 km west of Stockholm.

The alarm was raised about the shooting at 1.30 pm local time (12.30 GMT). Several other schools in the city have ordered lockdowns and students remain inside, Swedish radio reported. Meanwhile, police have urged people in the immediate vicinity of the shooting to shelter in place.