അമേരിക്കയില്
പ്രൈമറി സ്കൂളിലുണ്ടായ
വെടിവെപ്പില് 18 കുട്ടികളടക്കം 27 പേര് മരിച്ചു.
വെടിവെപ്പില് 18 കുട്ടികളടക്കം 27 പേര് മരിച്ചു.
യു.എസ്സില് പ്രൈമറി സ്കൂളിലുണ്ടായ വെടിവെപ്പില് 18
കുട്ടികളടക്കം 27 പേര് മരിച്ചു. ഇരുപതുകാരനായ അക്രമിയെ
പോലീസ് വെടിവെച്ചുവീഴ്ത്തി. കണക്ടികട്ട് സംസ്ഥാനത്തെ ന്യൂടൗണിലുള്ള സാന്ഡി ഹൂക്
സ്കൂളില് വെള്ളിയാഴ്ച പ്രാദേശിക സമയം രാവിലെ ഒമ്പതര (ഇന്ത്യന് സമയം രാത്രി
എട്ടു മണി)യോടെയാണ് സംഭവം. സ്കൂളുമായി ബന്ധമുള്ളയാളാണ് അക്രമിയെന്നും
രണ്ടുതോക്കുകള് ഉപയോഗിച്ചാണ് വെടിവെപ്പ് നടത്തിയതെന്നും ഔദ്യോഗിക വൃത്തങ്ങള്
പറഞ്ഞു. അസംഖ്യം വെടിയൊച്ചകള് കേട്ടതായി പ്രദേശവാസികള് പറഞ്ഞു. പോലീസും
രക്ഷാപ്രവര്ത്തകരും അധ്യാപകരുമൊക്കെ ചേര്ന്ന് കുട്ടികളെ സ്കൂളില്നിന്ന്
ഒഴിപ്പിച്ചു. 2007ല് വിര്ജീനിയ ടെക് യൂണിവേഴ്സിറ്റിയില്
32 പേര് മരിക്കാനിടയായ വെടിവെപ്പിനുശേഷം യു.എസ്സില്
ഇത്തരത്തിലുള്ള ഏറ്റവും വലിയ സംഭവമാണിത്. ഇക്കൊല്ലം ഇതിനുമുമ്പും സ്കൂളുകളില്
വെടിവെപ്പുണ്ടായിട്ടുണ്ട്. വെള്ളിയാഴ്ച വെടിവെപ്പു നടന്ന സാന്ഡി ഹൂക് സ്കൂള്
ഉന്നതനിലവാരമുള്ള സ്ഥാപനമാണ്. കിന്റര്ഗാര്ട്ടന് മുതല് നാലാംതരം വരെയായി
അറുന്നൂറോളം കുട്ടികള് ഇവിടെ പഠിക്കുന്നു.
A gunman has killed 20 children and six adults at a primary school in the US state of Connecticut, police say.The gunman, who also died, has not been formally identified by police.But officials told US media that the killer at Sandy Hook Elementary School, in Newtown, was a 20-year-old son of a teacher. He is thought to have killed her before the attack.It is one of the worst-ever US school shootings, with a toll close to the 32 who died at Virginia Tech in 2007.
A gunman has killed 20 children and six adults at a primary school in the US state of Connecticut, police say.The gunman, who also died, has not been formally identified by police.But officials told US media that the killer at Sandy Hook Elementary School, in Newtown, was a 20-year-old son of a teacher. He is thought to have killed her before the attack.It is one of the worst-ever US school shootings, with a toll close to the 32 who died at Virginia Tech in 2007.
Early
reports named 24-year-old Ryan Lanza as the gunman, but anonymous officials
later said his brother Adam, 20, was the suspect.He is believed to have killed
their mother, Nancy Lanza, at her home before heading to Sandy Hook school.
Investigators say it is unclear whether she worked there.Ryan Lanza of Hoboken,
New Jersey, was being questioned by police, US media reported, but has not been
named as a suspect.'Safest place in America'
Police
Lt Paul Vance said 18 children were pronounced dead at the school, and two died
after being taken to hospital. Six adults were also killed, and the gunman died
at the scene, apparently after shooting himself.
Our hearts are broken
today, for the parents, grandparents, sisters and brothers of these children”Barack
ObamaUS President .One person was also
injured, and police were investigating a second crime scene in Newtown, where
another victim was found dead - understood to be the gunman's mother.Dressed in
black and wearing a bullet-proof vest, the gunman is thought to have had
several weapons.These included two handguns - a Glock and a Sig Sauer - and a
.223-calibre rifle, reports said.
The
killings took place in two rooms within a single section of the school, police
have said.One parent, Stephen Delgiadice, whose eight-year-old daughter was at
Sandy Hook School on Friday but was not harmed, said the shooting was traumatic
for the small town."It's alarming, especially in Newtown, Connecticut,
which we always thought was the safest place in America," Mr Delgiadice
told AP.At a memorial service in Newtown people crowded outside the doors of
the church as Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy addressed those gathered.He
called the attack a "tragedy of unspeakable terms", saying "you
can never be prepared" for an event like this.In Washington, about 200
people held a candlelight vigil for the victims outside the White House, whilst
others protested there to call for gun controls.
Friday's
shooting is the third major gun attack in the US in 2012.In July an attacker
killed 12 people at a premiere of a Batman film in Aurora, Colorado. In August
six people died at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin.Just this week two people died in
a shooting at a shopping mall in the state of Oregon.At the White House, an
emotional President Barack Obama cited those incidents as he called for
"meaningful action... regardless of politics"."Our hearts are
broken today, for the parents, grandparents, sisters and brothers of these
children, and for the families of the adults who were lost."
Mr
Obama offered condolences to the families of survivors too, saying "their
children's innocence has been torn away from them too early, and there are no
words that will ease their pain".He wiped tears from his eyes as he spoke
of the "overwhelming grief" at the loss of life.The American flags on
Capitol Hill were lowered to half-mast in the wake of the attack.
Schools locked down
Police
arrived at the school soon after 09:40 local time (14:40 GMT) on Friday,
answering reports that a gunman was in the school's main office and one person
had "numerous gunshot wounds".Witnesses reported hearing scores of
shots fired, with one suggesting there "must have been 100 rounds" in
an interview with CNN.Parent Richard Wilford said his seven-year-old son Richie
described a noise that "sounded like what he described as cans
falling".Mr Wilford said his son's teacher locked the classroom door and
told the children to huddle in a corner until the police arrived.
Prof. John Kurakar
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