One person has been arrested after a shooting at a high school in the town of Grasse, south-east France, authorities said Thursday.
A 17-year-old armed with a rifle, a handgun, a revolver and two grenades entered the Alexis de Tocqueville school at about lunchtime and opened fire at the headteacher, CNN’s French affiliate BFMTV reported.
Eight people have been injured, including those with shock, a French Interior Ministry spokesman told BFMTV, adding that the headteacher was among those hurt.
The person arrested wasn’t known to police, the spokesman said. Authorities said the attack was not considered a terrorism incident.
A student named as Andreas, interviewed on BFMTV, described a scene of chaos and said someone he knew had suffered a hand injury.
“I heard four shots. It was a complete panic. We went up to be safe. It was like being in a movie. We are not used to that,” he said. “We hear stuff going on in Paris but now we understand.”
Student Chiara L. Besson tweeted that she was in a classroom at the school when the gunfire broke out and that it had lasted between five and 10 minutes.
She said she, her classmates and their teacher had all got out without injuries and that the school had been evacuated.
The school is currently being searched, BFMTV reported.
An elite police operations unit was at the scene, the Prefecture of Alpes-Maritimes said.
The Interior Ministry tweeted that the security situation was ongoing and urged people to stay away from the area.
The Alpes-Maritimes Civil Protection agency also warned people to avoid the school and keep calm.
The French education ministry tweeted that schools in Grasse were in lockdown and appealed for students’ families to stay away. Education Minister Najat Belkacem was on her way to the scene, the ministry said.