MILAN — Wednesday morning, Canadian fans and athletes at the Milan Cortina Olympics found out about a school shooting in British Columbia that killed at least seven people and hurt many others.
Canadian officials say that seven people were killed in the shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School on Tuesday. Two more were found dead at a neighboring residence. Police think the lady who shot the man was also dead, most likely from a wound she gave herself.
"It's very strange and hard to hear." "It's not something you ever expect to hear in Canada, let alone a small town," said Thomas Hepworth, who is from Winnipeg and was near Milan's famed Duomo cathedral.
Hepworth, a scientist from Germany, came to town to see Canada's men's hockey team, which is one of the favorites to win the gold medal.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police reported that more than 25 people were hurt, and two of them were taken to the hospital with injuries that may have killed them.
The provincial government's website says that the school, which is in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, has 175 pupils in grades 7 through 12. The village is more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) north of Vancouver, close to the border with Alberta.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Canadian Olympic Committee said it will help the victims and their families.
"We are sorry to learn of the terrible school shooting that happened in British Columbia. We are thinking of the families who have lost loved ones, those who are hurt, and everyone in the Tumbler Ridge community. The statement read, "Team Canada stands with everyone who has been affected as they go through these hard days ahead."
Canada has tight gun prohibitions, therefore school shootings are unusual there.
Gerry Fardoe, who is from Edmonton and was also visiting the Duomo church, stated that Canadians have to go through a lot of training before they can possess a rifle.
"I have a few guns." I don't hunt, but I have a cabin in the woods where bears are a problem. Fardoe, who was also in Milan to see the Canadian men's team, said, "I've only used it to scare them away."
