One killed and four injured in school stabbing in Chile

Santiago, Chile — At least one person was killed and four others were injured in a stabbing at a school in northern Chile on Friday, police said.

The attack occurred at about 10:40 a.m. local time at the Instituto Obispo Silva Lezata, located in the city of Calama in the northern Antofagasta region.

Chile’s national police force, the Carabineros, said in a statement that a 12th-grade student attacked three students and two members of the school staff.

The police also reported that “the officers subdued the individual and took him into custody upon their arrival.”

The school was evacuated and classes were cancelled.

A 59-year-old school supervisor died in the attack. There was no immediate information available on the condition of the four injured.

The identity and age of the attacker were not immediately released, but Antofagasta Governor Ricardo Diaz said the attacker was a student. Diaz also said that the student was carrying strong liquids, leading investigators to work on the hypothesis that the attack was premeditated.

Diaz described the situation as “grave” and said there were no details available about the attacker’s intentions.

“This event profoundly impacts the people of Calama, as such a significant event has never occurred here before,” he stated in an interview with local channel 24 Horas.

Armed attacks are uncommon in Chile, although the country has a long history of school violence and is known for student protests that often turn violent. In late 2024, more than 30 students were injured in an explosion caused by the manufacturing of incendiary devices for use in a student demonstration in Santiago.

In May, three students were shot inside a school in the Biobío region, in what authorities said was the first shooting inside a school in Chile.