One person has died and at least three others have been seriously injured after a knife attack at a school in France. The horror unfolded at Notre-Dame-de-Toutes-Aides private school in Nantes
A student has revealed the scenes inside a high school after several people were stabbed, with one person dead. The first-year pupil said the school corridor was lined with people in tears, after they finished class at lunchtime.
There was an air of confusion around the school, before more details came to light, they said. The horrifying knife attack incident took place at Notre-Dame-de-Toutes-Aides private school, with three pupils fighting for their lives, and one dead. The student, who was at the school during lunchtime, said: “We left our classroom at 1pm and saw a lot of students crying. We didn’t understand why. We’re very shocked.
“We only see this on television. We didn’t think it could happen in our school,” another final-year student expressed. “We still haven’t realised what happened; it’s shocking,” another told Ouest France.
According to police sources, the knifeman was a fellow high school pupil who reportedly stabbed several people around midday local time. The alleged attacker was apprehended on the scene by police after being restrained by a staff member.
Reports from Europe1 suggest that the attacker, armed with a knife, ascended to the second floor of the school and stabbed a girl following a dispute, before returning to the first floor and stabbing another three students.
The deceased victim is believed to be a second-year high school student, with reports suggesting the victim was female. Emergency services rushed to the scene around 12.45pm and are still present. The three critically injured pupils are currently receiving medical attention, and a medical-psychological unit has been established within the school.
The detained 15-year-old suspect is a student at the school and was not previously known to the police, according to a spokesperson. He was dressed entirely in black, wearing a helmet and a balaclava. Local media reports indicate that two knives were found near the scene, along with his school belongings. There is currently no suggestion of a terrorist motive.
Rue des Épinettes was completely blocked off to pedestrians and vehicles. According to an on-the-spot local reporter, students were spotted in tears, consoling each other. Panicked parents hurried to the school, which was taped off by police as students were ushered into the school’s multipurpose room around 1pm.
Meanwhile, a visibly shaken student also told a local reporter: “We had just gone to lunch in town and heard the news on the tram. It’s horrible. We had exams this morning and we had more today. It was just another day”.
And another student at the school recalled: “I was in the foyer, we saw a lot of people running around the courtyard, I heard that someone had a knife. We didn’t know whether to believe it. Then we saw someone from IT holding the door to the high school building, he was yelling at us to get out.”
Police Nationale 44 tweeted: “Our police officers are committed daily to ensuring the safety of your children near schools. Today, a control operation was carried out near a high school in the North of Nantes.” The identity of the alleged assailant has not been disclosed by the authorities. The motive behind the knife attack is currently under police investigation.