Mexico school attack leaves vice-principal dead, three people injured
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Onlookers at the scene of the attack on Oct 1, at Secondary School No. 13 in the La Union area of the city of Torreon.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- An attack at a secondary school in Torreon, Mexico, by two 18-year-old former students left the vice-principal dead and three others injured.
- The suspects used machetes and rudimentary explosives and were detained by local neighbours until authorities arrived.
- School attacks are rare in Mexico but have occurred in recent years, often involving young attackers and resulting in fatalities and injuries.
AI generated
MEXICO CITY - An attack at a secondary school in Mexico's northern Coahuila state left a vice-principal dead and three people injured on Oct 1, local authorities said, in a rare case of school violence in the country.
The attack was allegedly carried out by two 18-year-old brothers who have both been detained, State Prosecutor Federico Fernandez said, and took place at Secondary School No. 13 in the La Union area of the city of Torreon.
The suspects were former students, according to a state government official.
Security forces standing guard on Oct 1 outside Secondary School No. 13. The suspects are two 18-year-old brothers, former students of the school, who have been detained.
PHOTO: REUTERS
According to reports in local media, the two alleged attackers entered the school armed with machetes and rudimentary explosive devices.
The two alleged attackers were apprehended by local neighbours who entered the school upon hearing detonations, and held the suspects until authorities arrived at the scene, a neighbourhood resident told local media.
"Preliminary investigations indicate that two people, who are the probable perpetrators, attacked administrative staff. A woman, the school's vice principal, lost her life," Fernandez told reporters.
He described the incident as a "brutal attack".
Onlookers and soldiers outside Secondary School No. 13 in the Mexican city of Torreon on Oct 1, after the attack.
PHOTO: REUTERS
The federal Security Cabinet said the three people injured were receiving medical attention.
Attacks on schools are unusual in Mexico, where most violence is tied to organised crime, but there have been several high-profile cases in recent years.
Police officers escorting a student from Secondary School No. 13 to safety.
PHOTO: REUTERS
In March this year, a 15-year-old was arrested after reportedly shooting and killing two female staff members at a private school in Mexico's western state of Michoacan.
An attack also took place at a private school in Torreon in January 2020, when an 11-year-old boy shot a teacher dead and wounded five classmates before taking his own life, officials said at the time.
In 2017, a 15-year-old student in the northern city of Monterrey shot and wounded a teacher and three classmates at a private school before turning the gun on himself. The teacher died in hospital two months later. REUTERS