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Classes back in session after Bashkortostan school attack

The public school in Sterlitamak, in the Bashkortostan Region, where a remedial student attacked his classmates and teacher with a knife on Wednesday is back in session

STERLITAMAK, April 19. /TASS/. The public school in Sterlitamak, in the Bashkortostan Region, where a remedial student attacked his classmates and teacher with a knife on Wednesday is back in session. Many children are returning to school accompanied by their parents, a TASS correspondent reported from the scene. The school was closed immediately after the attack, with investigative activities conducted in the building.

"The school is working as usual. However, the classroom where incident took place will be closed because the computer science teacher is in the hospital," Natalya Muratova, the school principal, told TASS.

Meanwhile, officials have beefed up security in educational institutions throughout the city, Head of the Education Department at the City Hall Zigangir Ishbaev told TASS. "Security has been tightened in all educational institutions. The education process at school number 1 where classes began at 08:30 local time (06:30 Moscow time) will be carried out to the fullest," he vowed.

According to preliminary information by Russia’s Investigative Committee, a 17-year-old remedial student at public school number 1 in the city of Sterlitamak entered a computer science room where his schoolmates were located and slashed a schoolgirl’s hand, moving on to then stab a teacher, the Investigative Committee earlier said. He then proceeded to pour out a combustible substance and set it on fire, while also wounding himself with the knife. Another schoolgirl panicked and jumped out of a window on the second floor. Three victims and the teenager himself were taken to the hospital. The Investigative Committee launched two criminal cases over the incident - one against the teen attacker and the other against the officials in charge.