At least one dead, four injured in school shooting in southern Philippines

MANILA - A school shooting in the southern Philippines claimed at least one life and left four others wounded on Friday, according to the provincial governor. This follows two similar incidents at schools in the south since June. School shootings have been rare in the Philippines until now. The Department of Education expressed deep concern over the incident that occurred in Banga town, South Cotabato.

Provincial Governor Reynaldo Tamayo provided details of at least one fatality and four wounded, but did not disclose information about the shooter or further victim specifics. Police had previously confirmed the occurrence of the shooting. A student in Zamboanga streamed himself shooting and killing another student in a classroom before taking his own life last month.

In June, three students were killed and about 20 others injured in an attack at a public high school in Tacloban, where two classmates opened fire on campus. The Philippines enforces relatively strict gun ownership regulations, including background checks and psychological evaluations, despite illegal firearms still being present.

This incident echoes a high-profile example in Thailand in August, where a student carried out a shooting rampage at a school on the outskirts of Bangkok.