‘Endless grief’: Turkiye mourns victims of second school shooting in a week
TL;DR
Turkiye mourns the victims of a second school shooting this week, with funerals held for eight students and a teacher in Kahramanmaras. The attacker, a 14-year-old, was found dead, and six others remain in critical condition.
Key points
- Second school shooting in Turkiye within a week
- Eight students and a teacher killed in Kahramanmaras
- Shooter was a 14-year-old found dead after the attack
- Six wounded individuals are in critical condition
- Guns used in the attack belonged to the shooter's father
Mentioned in this story
Mourners have gathered in Turkiye’s southern province of Kahramanmaras for the funerals of victims killed in the second of two school shootings that rocked the nation this week.
Funerals were held on Thursday for eight students and maths teacher Ayla Kara, 55, who were killed in Wednesday’s shooting, The Associated Press news agency reported.
A 10th victim died while being treated in hospital on Thursday, authorities said. Six of those wounded in the attack were in critical condition, officials said.
Isa Aras Mersinli, 14, opened fire on two classrooms in the Ayser Calik School in Kahramanmaras city on Wednesday. The attacker was later found dead.
Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said the attacker is believed to have used guns that belonged to his father, a former police officer.
People carry the coffin of a victim of a school shooting during the funeral prayers at a mosque in Kahramanmaras, Turkiye, on April 16, 2026 [Ensar Ozdemir/Reuters]
At a funeral for four of the victims held near Kahramanmaras city’s main mosque on Thursday, one father sat motionless beside the coffin of his daughter, 10‑year‑old Zeynep, the AFP news agency reported.
“Our grief is endless. These children were like our own. They were all innocent,” said Vezir Yucel, father of a student named Yusuf, who lost his close friend, 10-year-old Bayram, in the shooting.
Nilgun Ruci, a 55‑year‑old homemaker, told AFP that she rushed to Ayser Calik School after hearing gunshots. When she arrived, she saw the daughter of a neighbour lying gravely wounded.
“She had been shot in the leg and the shoulder,” Ruci said. “At first, I thought she had fainted. Today I learned that she died.”
Second attack in two days
The attack was the country’s second school shooting in two days, coming after Tuesday’s attack at a high school in Sanliurfa province in the southeast, which was carried out by a former student who wounded 16 people.
As of Thursday, 20 people had been detained in connection with Tuesday’s shooting in Sanliurfa.
The interior and education ministries held a joint school security meeting in the capital, Ankara, on Thursday, which was attended by both ministers and all 81 of Turkiye’s provincial governors, as well as police chiefs and provincial education directors.
Until this week, school shootings were rare in Turkiye. But dozens of students were arrested Thursday over alleged social media posts implying they might stage similar attacks.
Justice Minister Akin Gurlek announced that 67 social media users were detained over posts targeting 54 different schools.
Q&A
What happened in the recent school shooting in Turkiye?
A 14-year-old opened fire at Ayser Calik School in Kahramanmaras, killing eight students and a teacher, with a 10th victim dying later in the hospital.
Who were the victims of the school shooting in Kahramanmaras?
The victims included eight students and a 55-year-old maths teacher named Ayla Kara.
What is known about the shooter in the Turkiye school shooting?
The shooter, Isa Aras Mersinli, was 14 years old and reportedly used guns that belonged to his father, a former police officer.
