Media: Teacher dies shielding students in deadly school shooting in Türkiye

A teacher has died after shielding her students during a deadly school shooting in the southeastern Turkish city of Kahramanmaraş, in an attack that left nine people dead and more than a dozen injured.

According to Turkish media reports, Ayla Kara, a teacher at the targeted secondary school, used her body to protect pupils when a student opened fire inside the building. She sustained fatal injuries while attempting to shield the children.

The incident took place on April 15, when an eighth-grade student reportedly entered the school armed with multiple firearms and ammunition. The attacker is said to have carried five pistols and seven magazines, allegedly using weapons belonging to his father, a former police officer.

The assailant opened fire in two classrooms, causing widespread panic and casualties among students and staff. Authorities confirmed that nine people were killed in the attack, while 13 others were injured. Six of the wounded remain in intensive care.

Emergency services responded swiftly, evacuating the injured to nearby hospitals as security forces secured the area and launched an investigation into the circumstances of the shooting.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, Türkiye’s Justice Minister Akın Gürlek announced a temporary ban on the dissemination of unofficial information related to the case, citing the need to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation.

By Vugar Khalilov