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One dead, two injured in Finland school shooting as 12-year-old suspect detained

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Police arrive after a shooting at Viertola school in Vantaa, Finland, April 2, 2024. Markku Ulander/Lehtikuva/Reuters
One dead, two injured in Finland school shooting as 12-year-old suspect detained
CNN — A child has died and two others have been seriously injured in a school shooting in Finland, according to the country’s national police.

The victims were 12 years old. A suspect, also aged 12 and a student at the same school, fled on foot but was later caught by police in a suburb north of the Finnish capital Helsinki, according the country’s public broadcaster, YLE.

Officers were called to Viertola school in the city of Vantaa at around 9 a.m. local time (2 a.m. ET) Tuesday, YLE said.

Pupils were kept inside their classrooms after the shooting and authorities urged people to avoid the school and remain indoors.

Viertola primary school lies about 18 kilometers (11 miles) north of Helsinki. It has around 800 students between 1st and 9th grade and around 90 staff members.

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Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said the shooting was “deeply shocking.”

“My thoughts are with the victims, their families and the other students and staff of the Viertola school,” Orpo wrote on X.

Finland enjoys a strong tradition of hunting and its gun ownership rates are among the highest in the world, but school shootings are extremely rare.

In 2007, Pekka-Eric Auvinen, an 18-year-old schoolboy, opened fire at his high school in the southern Finnish town of Tuusula, killing eight people and wounding 10 others before turning the gun on himself. He had left a suicide note saying goodbye to his family.

In 2008, just months after the Tuusula shooting, Matti Juhani Saari, 22, opened fire at another school in the country, killing 10 before also shooting himself.

After the shootings, the Finnish government issued new guidelines on the use of firearms, particularly handguns and revolvers.

One dead, two injured in Finland school shooting as 12-year-old suspect detained

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Trump Tells Supporters to ‘Cheat Like Hell’ Ahead of US Election

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Trump Tells Supporters to ‘Cheat Like Hell’ Ahead of US Election

US President Donald Trump has made an unusual appeal to his supporters ahead of the November 3 election, telling them to turn out with their families and friends while declaring that he would “cheat like hell.”

Trump made the comments during a Republican gathering in Dallas, Texas, where he led attendees through a mock pledge intended to encourage them to support him and participate in the election.

After asking the crowd to raise their right hands and repeat after him, Trump urged his supporters to help bring their relatives and friends to the polls.

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He then made the controversial remark while discussing voter registration, saying he was unconcerned about whether he was registered and accusing his political opponents of being bigger “cheaters.”

Trump went on to encourage supporters to vote either on November 3 or before election day, ending the pledge with an appeal to God.

The president also joked that supporters who failed to vote could face divine punishment, telling the crowd they would “go to hell” if they did not turn out.

The remarks came as Trump sought to energise Republican voters ahead of the election, in which control of Congress is also at stake.

His comments are likely to attract attention because of the language he used during an event aimed at mobilising voters, particularly his reference to cheating and his claims about the conduct of his opponents.

 

Trump Tells Supporters to ‘Cheat Like Hell’ Ahead of US Election

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France Train Derailment Injures 44, 18-Year-Old Woman in Critical Condition

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France Train Derailment Injures 44, 18-Year-Old Woman in Critical Condition

France Train Derailment Injures 44, 18-Year-Old Woman in Critical Condition

At least 44 people were injured after a passenger train carrying 186 people derailed in northwestern France on Friday evening, with an 18-year-old woman among those injured and reported to be in critical condition.

The Rouen-Caen regional train derailed at about 7:45 p.m. local time near Cléon, in the Seine-Maritime department of Normandy, while travelling between the cities of Rouen and Caen.

The incident triggered a major emergency response, with authorities deploying about 130 firefighters, five medical teams and 80 emergency vehicles to the scene.

A mass-casualty emergency plan was activated to coordinate the rescue operation and treatment of those injured.

According to Rouen prosecutor Sébastien Gallois, 44 passengers were injured in the France train derailment, including the 18-year-old woman who was airlifted to Rouen University Hospital in critical condition.

The other 43 injured passengers were treated for less serious injuries.

The initial estimate of the number of injured passengers was lower, but the figure was revised to 44 after emergency teams completed their assessment of passengers at the scene.

Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said the train was travelling between Rouen and Caen when the accident occurred.

A passenger identified as 24-year-old Louis described the moments before the train accident in France as frightening.

He said the train first experienced several jolts before the movement became increasingly violent.

“Suddenly there were a few jolts, and then after about three seconds it got stronger and stronger,” he told ICI Normandie radio.

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“I couldn’t stay in my seat any more. The windows partially shattered; the stones from the track came into the carriage. It was really shocking. I’m still shaking,” he said.

A police source said the train may have struck an unidentified object shortly before it derailed. However, authorities have not established whether the object was responsible for the accident.

The cause of the Cléon train derailment therefore remains under investigation.

The Rouen prosecutor said drug and alcohol tests conducted on the train driver were negative.

Police and railway investigators have begun examining the train, the railway infrastructure and the circumstances surrounding the derailment to determine what caused the accident.

The railway operator, SNCF Réseau, suspended traffic on the affected line and switched off electricity to the tracks to allow emergency workers to operate safely.

“The priority is to care for the passengers and then to restore safe operating conditions,” SNCF Réseau said.

The disruption affected rail services along the Rouen-Caen route, while other services connecting Caen with Le Havre were also affected.

Rail authorities worked to arrange alternative transport for passengers whose journeys were disrupted while emergency and investigative operations continued at the accident scene.

Passengers who were not seriously injured were moved away from the crash site as emergency teams attended to those requiring medical attention.

The prefecture urged members of the public to stay away from the affected area to allow rescue workers and investigators to carry out their duties.

The accident caused significant disruption to rail services across the region, with authorities prioritising the safety of passengers and the restoration of the affected railway line.

The investigation is expected to establish whether the train’s contact with the unidentified object, a problem with the railway infrastructure or another factor contributed to the derailment.

As of the latest reports, there were no fatalities recorded in the accident, while the 18-year-old woman remained in critical condition and the other injured passengers were receiving medical attention.

Authorities said investigations into the France train accident were continuing.

France Train Derailment Injures 44, 18-Year-Old Woman in Critical Condition

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Five Dead After Coach Carrying Dutch Tourists Overturns in Switzerland

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Five Dead After Coach Carrying Dutch Tourists Overturns in Switzerland

A holiday trip in Switzerland has ended in tragedy after a coach carrying 45 Dutch adults overturned in the eastern part of the country, killing five people and injuring the remaining passengers.

The crash occurred on Thursday afternoon on the road linking Susch and Zernez in the Graubünden region. Police said the vehicle went off the roadway while passing through an area where construction work was taking place before overturning.

Three of those injured are in serious condition, while another 37 people sustained less severe injuries. The driver, who is also Dutch, survived the crash but was among those taken for medical treatment.

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Authorities have begun investigating the incident and are working to establish what caused the coach to leave the road.

Tour operator Oad said the company was devastated by the deaths and described the incident as a deeply shocking tragedy.

The crash took place close to Zernez, a popular gateway to Switzerland’s National Park, a large Alpine nature reserve in the Engadine valley.

 

Five Dead After Coach Carrying Dutch Tourists Overturns in Switzerland

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