Three children injured in Finland primary school shooting

Three children injured in Finland primary school shooting

World

The shooting took place at the Viertola school in Vantaa, a suburb to the capital Helsinki

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HELSINKI, April 2 (Reuters) - Three children were injured in a shooting at a primary school in Finland early on Tuesday, and a suspect, who was also a minor, was later apprehended, Finnish police said.

The victims were taken to hospital, a police spokesperson told Reuters.

The shooting took place at the Viertola school in Vantaa, a suburb to the capital Helsinki, which has around 800 students from first to ninth grade and a staff of some 90 people, according to the local municipality.

"The immediate danger is over," the Viertola school's principal Sari Laasila told Reuters, declining to comment further on the incident. 

'Police are at the scene investigating the incident. Bystanders are asked to stay away from the area and indoors. The door should not be opened to strangers,' the police said in a statement.

Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat reported that the school is situated across two 'teaching points' – Liljatie Teaching Point and Jokiranta Teaching Point.

Citing eyewitness reports, the publication reported that the shooting was likely carried out at the Jokiranta teaching point after cars and ambulances were spotted there on Tuesday morning.

The eyewitness told Helsingin Sanomat that two ambulances and police cars left the school at around 10am local time (7am GMT).

Vantaa is found around ten miles north of Finland's capital of Helsinki and is home to around 250,000 people.