Student dies in knife attack at Istanbul middle school

A student died in hospital after a knife attack at a school in Istanbul on Tuesday that left seven other students wounded, Türkiye's Interior Ministry said.

The girl "died despite all efforts" to save her, the ministry said in a statement on X. The other seven wounded pupils are receiving treatment, it added.

Security forces detained the student identified as the attacker and judicial proceedings have begun. The ministry gave no details about the suspect's age or possible motive.

Istanbul Governor Davut Gül earlier identified the attacker as a female student from another school nearby. He said she entered the school in the Başakşehir district wearing her school uniform and stabbed students "indiscriminately."

The attack occurred at around 8:40 am (0540 GMT) at a school in the Kayabaşı neighbourhood, state news agency Anadolu reported. Footage shared on social media showed ambulances at the school and panicked students.

School violence has drawn heightened attention in Türkiye this year following several attacks. A rare deadly school shooting in the eastern province of Kahramanmaraş in April left 11 people dead, including a teacher and the student attacker.