Sawt Falasteen - Shooter kills 9 at Canadian school, residence

The suspect, described by police in an initial emergency alert as a "female in a dress with brown hair," was found dead with an apparent self-inflicted injury, officials said.

The attack occurred in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, a picturesque mountain valley town in the foothills of the Rockies.

A total of 27 people were wounded in the shooting, including two with serious injuries, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a statement.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was "devastated" by the "horrific acts of violence" and announced he was suspending plans to travel to the Munich Security Conference on Wednesday, where he had been set to hold talks with allies on transatlantic defence readiness.

Police said an alert was issued about an active shooter at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School on Tuesday afternoon.

As police searched the school, they found six people shot dead. A seventh person with a gunshot wound died en route to hospital.

Separately, police found two more bodies at a residence in the town.

The residence is "believed to be connected to the incident," police said.

At the school, "an individual believed to be the shooter was also found deceased with what appears to be a self‑inflicted injury," police said.

"We are devastated by the loss of life and the profound impact this tragedy has had on families, students, staff, and our entire town," the municipality of Tumbler Ridge said in a statement.

Tumbler Ridge student Darian Quist told public broadcaster CBC that he was in his mechanics class when there was an announcement that the school was in lockdown.

He said that initially he "didn't think anything was going on," but started receiving "disturbing" photos about the carnage.

"It set in what was happening," Quist said.

He said he stayed in lockdown for more than two hours until police stormed in, ordering everyone to put their hands up before escorting them out of the school.

Darian's mother, Shelley Quist, said she embraced her son when they finally connected after the site was declared safe.

"He's not going to be out of my sight for a while now," she told the broadcaster.

Trent Ernst, a local journalist and a former substitute teacher at Tumbler Ridge, told AFP that one of his children just graduated from the school.

"There's been troubled kids here in town before," he said.

Police have not yet released any information about the age of the shooter or the victims.

- 'Heartbreak' -

Mass shootings are extremely rare in Canada.

In April, a vehicle attack that targeted a Filipino cultural festival in Vancouver killed 11 people.

British Columbia Premier David Eby called the latest violence "unimaginable."

Ken Floyd, commander of the police's northern district, described the incident as "a rapidly evolving and dynamic situation."

"This has been an incredibly difficult and emotional day for our community, and we are grateful for the cooperation shown as officers continue their work to advance the investigation," he said.

Floyd told reporters the shooter was the same suspect police described as "female" in a prior emergency alert to community members, but declined to provide any details on the suspect's identity.

The police said officers were searching other homes and properties in the community to see if there were additional sites connected to the incident.

Tumbler Ridge, a quiet town with roughly 2,400 residents, is more than 1,100 kilometers (680 miles) north of Vancouver, British Columbia's largest city.

"There are no words sufficient for the heartbreak our community is experiencing tonight," the municipality said.

C.Hamad--SF-PST