At least 10, including suspect, killed in shooting at school in Canada's British Columbia

At least 10 people, including the suspected shooter, were killed in a shooting at a high school in Canada's British Columbia on Tuesday.

Another 25 people were being assessed for injuries at a local medical center, the police said.

The incident took place at the Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia's Peace region.

The suspected shooter was also found dead from self-inflicted wounds, the police said, adding that it was a woman.

"Multiple injuries and multiple deceased ⁠were inside the school as officers progressed through the scene," police Superintendent Ken Floyd told the media.

"We have the scene secured right ‌now. We have investigators there to try to determine the ‌nature of the extent of the injuries and ‌what weapons may or may not have been involved," Floyd said.

The police have also asked residents to stay indoors as additional forces are being deployed in the region.

Larry Neufeld, member of the legislature for Peace River South, told the media that an "excess" of resources, including RCMP and ambulance support, have been sent to the community.

He said he did not want to release any more information over concerns that it might jeopardise the safety of the ongoing operation.

"We do understand that a few folks are out looking for loved ones, and again, please, please go back to your homes and shelter in place and allow the amazing people of the RCMP to make this community, this beautiful community, safe again," he said.

According to the provincial government website, the Tumbler Ridge Secondary School has about 175 students from classes 7 to 12.

Canada has stricter gun laws than the United States, but Canadians can own firearms ⁠with a license.

The Trudeau government introduced a number of restrictions on handgun ownership and assault-style weapons since 2020, partly in response to a mass shooting in Nova Scotia and the Uvalde school shooting in Texas.

However, attempts ‌to ban certain types of rifles and shotguns were abandoned after opposition from farmers and hunters.

Tumbler Ridge, the scene of ‌the shooting, is a remote municipality with a population of around 2,400 people in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in ‌northern British Columbia, approximately 1,155 km (717 miles) northeast of Vancouver. Images of the town show a snow-covered landscape filled with pine trees.

Tumbler Ridge ‌Secondary School has 160 students in grades seven through 12, roughly ages 12 to 18, according to its website. The school was closed for the rest of the week and counseling will be made available to those in need, school officials said.

Officials said the town's small police force was on the scene within two minutes of receiving ⁠a call, and that ⁠victims were still being assessed hours after the incident.

"This is a small, tight-knit community with a small RCMP detachment as well, who responded in two minutes, no doubt saving lives today," Nina Krieger, British Columbia's public safety minister, told reporters.

The shooting ranks among the deadliest in Canadian history.

In April 2020, a 51-year-old man disguised in a police uniform and driving a fake police car shot and killed 22 people in a 13-hour rampage in the Atlantic province of Nova Scotia, before police killed him at a gas station about 90 km (60 miles) from the site of his first killings.

In Canada's worst school shooting, in December 1989, a gunman killed 14 female students and wounded 13 at the Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal, ​Quebec, before committing suicide.

In response to the shooting, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney postponed a planned announcement in Halifax on Wednesday of a ​new Defence Industrial Strategy and subsequent trip to Germany for ​the Munich Security Conference, a spokesperson said.

"I am devastated by today’s horrific shootings in Tumbler Ridge, B.C. My prayers and deepest condolences are with the families and friends who have lost ​loved ones to these horrific acts of violence," Carney said on X.