Sweden shooting: What we know after five people shot at adult education centre | World News

A major police operation is currently under way after five people were shot at an adult education centre in Sweden.

Authorities have warned the public that the danger is not over and to stay away from the area in the town of Orebro, around 200km (125 miles) west of the capital Stockholm.

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The perpetrator died after shooting himself, according to Swedish news programme TV4 Nyheterna and news agency TT. Police have not confirmed if this is true, or if the perpetrator is being counted as one of the five who has been shot.

Here is everything we know about the shooting so far.

What happened?

Police were alerted to shots being fired at what they described as a school just after 12.30pm local time (11.30am UK time).

They later confirmed that five people had been shot, but gave no indication on the extent of their injuries.

Video from the scene showed a large police presence and other emergency vehicles.

Students that were sheltering in nearby buildings, and other parts of the school, were evacuated following the shooting.

The shooting is believed to have taken place at Campus Risbergska, which caters for students over the age of 20, according to The Associated Press.

Primary and upper secondary school courses are offered, as well as Swedish classes for immigrants, vocational training and programmes for people with intellectual disabilities.

‘Three bangs and loud screams’

One person who was among those forced to barricade themselves inside the school said they “heard three bangs and loud screams”.

“Now we’re sitting here waiting to be evacuated from the school. The information we have received is that we should sit and wait,” they told the Expressen newspaper.

Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reported one person trapped in the school saying “we have heard several shots outside”.

Pavel Koubak, a photographer who was in the area at the time of the attack said that he saw at least three police helicopters in the sky.

“I was talking to a guy riding a bicycle who passed through the area,” he told Sky News presenter Kamali Melbourne.

“He had a friend that was working inside the school that had sent him a text message that there was automatic rifle fire. He was laying down on the floor inside the school.”

Asked whether gun violence was rare in the area, Mr Koubak said it was not.

“We’ve had plenty of shootings around Sweden and also in Orebro in the last couple of years. But, this seems to be sort of a bigger magnitude,” he said.

“I think [the police] are pretty educated on these type of situations nowadays. There was a pretty quick response from the big unit of police and lots of helicopters very, very quickly after the alarm.”

What have the police said?

Police in Sweden have warned the public that “danger is not over”.

They added: “The public must continue to stay away from Västhaga.”

An information point has been set up where relatives and others who have questions can gather, police said.

A police helicopter has been pictured circling over the education centre as the operation continues.

An intensive care helicopter is also on its way to the town, according to Anna Svenneback, press officer for health and medical care in the region.

What has the government said?

Justice minister Gunnar Strommer told Swedish news agency TT that the reports were “very serious”.

He added: “The police are on site and the operation is in full swing. The government is in close contact with the police, and is closely following developments.”

During a news conference on the Swedish employment market, another government official addressed the shooting.

Mats Persson, minister for employment and integration, said: “The government is following developments very closely and has a continuous dialogue with the police about this.”