Eight dead in Brazil school shooting; two shooters commit suicide: Police

School shootings are rare in Brazil, even though the country is one of the world’s most violent, with more annual homicides than any other. The last major school shooting was in 2011, when 12 children were shot dead by a former pupil in Rio de Janeiro.

Two assailants opened fire Wednesday in a school near Sao Paulo, Brazil, killing eight people and wounding 15 others, state military police said.

At least eight people were killed at a Brazilian elementary school where two young men were seen entering the building and firing weapons early on Wednesday, according to Sao Paulo police. (AFP File Photo)

The two shooters committed suicide after the rampage at the school in Suzano, a community near Sao Paulo, the police said.

Among the dead were five school children, one adult who worked at the building and the two adolescent shooters, police said.

An unknown number of additional children were also shot at the Raul Brasil elementary school and taken to hospitals. The state of their health was not immediately known.

School shootings are rare in Brazil, even though the country is one of the world’s most violent, with more annual homicides than any other. The last major school shooting was in 2011, when 12 children were shot dead by a former pupil in Rio de Janeiro.

While gun laws are extremely strict in Brazil, it is not difficult to illegally purchase a weapon.

Police said that two adolescents wearing face masks entered the building and started shooting at about 9:30 a.m. local time. The pair eventually shot and killed themselves.