A 15-year-old girl allegedly stabbed eight female pupils at a middle school in Istanbul, Turkey, on Tuesday, leaving one critically injured and another undergoing surgery.
The incident occurred around 8:40am local time at a school in Basaksehir, in the northwestern part of the city.
The alleged attacker, identified as a 10th-grade student from another school, was arrested by the police after reportedly entering the school premises in a uniform and attacking pupils with a knife.
Turkey’s Health Minister, Kemal Memişoğlu, disclosed the casualty figure in a post on X, saying, “eight people injured in the incident — one in critical condition, and two in moderate-to-serious condition,” adding that the victims were receiving treatment in hospital.
Istanbul Governor, Davut Gul, told reporters that the attacker had stabbed the pupils “indiscriminately.”
“Five pupils sustained minor injuries; they are likely to be discharged later today. Two are in serious condition. One is currently undergoing surgery,” he said.
The governor added, “The pupil who carried out the attack lives in the same neighbourhood and attends a different school. She entered the premises wearing school uniform and stabbed the children indiscriminately.”
However, Basaksehir district governor, Cemil Ozgur Onegi, gave the number of injured pupils as seven, identifying the suspect by her initials.
“Seven female students were injured as a result of a knife attack carried out by F.M., a 10th-grade student” from a high school in another district.
The latest incident comes amid growing concerns over attacks involving teenagers at schools in Turkey.
Last month, a teenager opened fire outside a school in western Turkey, injuring 11 pupils, three of them seriously, before being arrested.
In April, two teenagers carried out separate shooting attacks on consecutive days in southern Turkey, sparking public concern over security in schools.
