Mourning in Kahramanmaras
Funerals were held on Thursday in Turkiye's southern province of Kahramanmaras for eight children and a teacher killed in a school shooting a day earlier, as the nation reeled from its second school shooting in a week. The death toll rose to 10 when a ninth child succumbed to injuries in hospital on Thursday, according to authorities cited by Al Jazeera. Six of the wounded remain in critical condition, officials said.
The attacker, identified as 14-year-old Isa Aras Mersinli, opened fire on two classrooms at the Ayser Calik School on Wednesday before being found dead, reported Al Jazeera. Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said the attacker is believed to have used guns that belonged to his father, a former police officer, as cited by Al Jazeera.
Mourners gathered near the city's main mosque for funeral prayers, with some carrying coffins draped in Turkish flags. One father, Vezir Yucel, whose son Yusuf was a close friend of 10-year-old Bayram Nabi Sisik, one of the victims, told AFP: "Our grief is endless. These children were like our own. They were all innocent." Another local resident, Nilgun Ruci, described rushing to the school after hearing gunshots and finding a neighbour's daughter wounded in the leg and shoulder.
The Attack and Its Aftermath
The attack in Kahramanmaras came just a day after an ex-student opened fire at a former high school in the southeastern province of Sanliurfa, leaving 16 injured, authorities said. In both incidents, the attackers were killed, the first taking his own life when cornered by police.
The suspect in the Kahramanmaras attack was a student at the school and arrived with five guns, according to Dawn. The news outlet also reported that the attacker had an interest in firearms and had referenced a mass shooter in the US on his WhatsApp profile — a detail not mentioned by Al Jazeera, and not yet independently verified.
Police have arrested dozens of web users for praising the shooters or spreading misinformation, Dawn reported, a step that highlights the authorities' focus on preventing copycat acts or public glorification.
Community Grief and Demand for Accountability
Witnesses described scenes of chaos and terror. One woman who lives near the school said: "I feel terrible. In front of my eyes, so many children were jumping, coming out injured, covered in blood." Another local, 16-year-old Ahmet, told AFP that his sister knew the attacker but had not been in class that day. "Allah protected her. But she's shocked," he said.
In Ankara, some 3,500 teachers gathered to call for the education minister to resign, with chants including "Blood has stained my profession" and "Where were you while the children were dying," according to Dawn. The protest underscores growing public anger over school safety and the government's response to the shootings.
Official Response and Investigation
Authorities have not publicly attributed a motive for the attack, but interior minister Ciftci's statement on the father's guns raises questions about firearm access. The investigation is ongoing, and officials have not commented on the reported WhatsApp reference to a US mass shooter.
As Turkiye mourns, the twin shootings have reignited debate over gun control and school security. The government has yet to announce concrete measures, but the scale of grief and the demand from teachers suggest public pressure for action is mounting.
The second shooting in a week has left the nation in shock, and the phrase "endless grief" echoed through the funerals, capturing a community struggling to comprehend the loss of so many young lives.