<\/p>\n
A visibly shaken Mark Carney<\/a> has promised Canadians they will make it through the aftermath of a mass shooting in a small western town, in which an assailant killed nine people and then themselves in one of the deadliest such attacks in the country\u2019s history.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s obviously a very difficult day for the nation,\u201d said the Canadian prime minister on Wednesday, who at one point looked close to tears. \u201cThis morning, parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers in Tumbler Ridge will wake up without someone they love.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaking to journalists a day after the shooting<\/a> that included an attack on a high school, Carney added: \u201cWe will get through this. We will learn from this. But right now, it\u2019s a time to come together, as Canadians always do in these situations, these terrible situations, to support each other, to mourn together and to grow together.\u201d<\/p>\n Carney, who had already suspended plans to travel to Germany for the high-level Munich security conference, said he had ordered flags on all government buildings be flown at half-mast for the next seven days. At parliament in Ottawa, Carney and other parties planned to stand for a moment of silence.<\/p>\n The attack has left people reeling in Canada, where mass shootings are rare, especially compared with the US. While the country has relatively high levels of gun ownership, it has imposed much stricter laws than its southern neighbour, including a ban on assault-style firearms<\/a> and a freeze on the sale of handguns<\/a>.<\/p>\n Carney said he was also dispatching the federal public safety minister, Gary Anandasangaree, to the small community of Tumbler Ridge, an isolated town of fewer than 2,500 residents in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, more than 1,000km (600 miles) north-east of Vancouver by road.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, after responding to reports of a shooting, police officers found six people dead inside the town\u2019s high school. Two more bodies were found at a residence believed to be connected to the incident, and another person died on the way to hospital. The suspected shooter was found dead at the school, police added.<\/p>\n At least two other people were hospitalised with serious or life-threatening wounds, and as many as 25 people were being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, police said.<\/p>\n The town\u2019s mayor, Darryl Krakowka, said the small community was like a \u201cbig family\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cI broke down,\u201d Krakowka said. \u201cI have lived here for 18 years. I probably know every one of the victims.\u201d<\/p>\n British Columbia\u2019s public safety minister, Nina Krieger, has said \u201cspeed and professionalism\u201d had saved lives, and that a small detachment from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police had \u201cresponded in two minutes\u201d.<\/p>\n An active-shooter alert sent by the police to people in the area described the suspect as \u201cfemale in a dress with brown hair\u201d. Police Supt Ken Floyd later confirmed at a news conference that the suspect described in the alert was the same person found dead in the school.<\/p>\n Floyd said police would not comment on the possible motive of the attacker. \u201cWe\u2019re following all leads to try to determine the connection to the shooter,\u201d he said. \u201cI think we will struggle to determine the \u2018why\u2019, but we will try our best to determine what transpired.\u201d<\/p>\n It was not clear how many of the dead or injured were minors.<\/p>\n A 12-year-old girl was said to be \u201cfighting for her life\u201d in a Vancouver hospital after being shot in the head and neck, according to a widely shared Facebook post local media said was written by the girl\u2019s mother, Cia Edmonds.<\/p>\n \u201cShe was a lucky one, I suppose. Condolences to the other families during this tragedy,\u201d the post read. \u201cThis doesn\u2019t even feel real.\u201d<\/p>\n The district of Tumbler Ridge issued a statement on Tuesday afternoon, calling the shooting a \u201cdeeply distressing\u201d incident. \u201cWe recognise that many residents may be feeling shocked, scared and overwhelmed,\u201d the district said. \u201cIn the days ahead, we know this will be difficult for many to process. Please check in on one another, lean on available supports, and know that Tumbler Ridge is a strong and caring community.\u201d<\/p>\n The Tumbler Ridge secondary school has 160 students in grades seven to 12, roughly ages 12 to 18, according to its website. The school will be closed for the rest of the week and counselling will be made available to those in need, school officials said.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are no words that can ease the fear and pain that events like this cause in a school community,\u201d the Tumbler Ridge parent advisory council said in a statement. \u201cWe want families to know that the safety and wellbeing of students and staff are paramount, and we are grateful to the first responders and emergency personnel who acted quickly and professionally.\u201d<\/p>\n On Tuesday, the town\u2019s health centre was placed on Code Orange, signifying a mass-casualty incident or large-scale emergency response. But given the rural nature of the community, at least two victims were airlifted to larger hospitals. Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service (Stars) said one of its aircraft from Grande Prairie, Alberta, was requested for the incident.<\/p>\n The attack is the second-deadliest school shooting in Canadian history. In 1989, a gunman killed 14 students at Montreal\u2019s L\u2019Ecole Polytechnique in an attack that targeted women. In 2016, five people were killed in a series of shootings in La Loche, Saskatchewan.<\/p>\n