Gun attack at school in Finland leaves three children injured, attacker arrested

Finnish police responded to an incident at a school in the Finnish city of Vantaa, north of the capital Helsinki, shortly after 9am local time, 7am in mainland Portugal. The local population was asked to stay away from the site.

Authorities announced that all those involved in the incident were minors, including the attacker, and that three children suffered injuries, Sky News reports. The victims were taken to hospital, a police spokesman told Reuters.

Reports say that some children managed to hide during the attack, and told their parents what was happening on their cell phones.

The Viertola school has students aged between seven and 16, who, like other Finnish schools, had returned to class after a few days of Easter holidays.

According to other information provided by Finnish media, cited by the BBC, the educational institution in question has 800 students and 90 assistants and teachers, and operates in two locations, with the attack taking place on the Jokiranta campus. Witnesses say they saw two ambulances leaving the scene.

News updated at 9:19 am