Shooting at a school in the Philippines leaves three dead and eight injured during lunch break

A shooting at Banga National High School in the municipality of Banga, in the province of Mindanao in the southern Philippines, left three people dead and eight injured.

The incident occurred on Friday afternoon, while classes have been suspended at all levels throughout the municipality of Banga.

Authorities said that two 14-year-old students were among the victims. The suspected attacker, a 16-year-old, killed himself after shooting at the students.

Banga Mayor Albert Palencia told the BBC that four of the injured were in critical condition. He said the attacker opened fire after the lunch break had ended and struck a total of 10 people before killing himself.

Palencia told Reuters that, during a conversation at lunchtime, the 16-year-old had asked his friends to leave and go home, telling them that he would carry out his plan after lunch.

According to the mayor, the friends had not taken the warning seriously because they knew the teenager as someone who often joked.

Immediately after lunch, the 16-year-old opened fire on the students. Local authorities are continuing their investigation to determine the motive and the full circumstances of the attack.

The Philippine Department of Education said it was “deeply concerned” about the incident, stressing that the safety and well-being of students, teachers and school personnel remained its top priority.

The Philippine Red Cross said it received information about the shooting at around 2:00 p.m. local time. An ambulance carrying four paramedics was sent to the scene to assist the injured.

Authorities have urged citizens to remain calm and refrain from spreading unconfirmed information while the investigation is underway.