Crimea college mass murder: what do we know?

At least 19 people have been killed and dozens more wounded in a massacre at the Kerch Polytechnic College in Crimea.

According to Russian investigators, an 18-year-old student “ran through the Kerch technical college firing at fellow pupils before killing himself”, reports the BBC.

An “unidentified explosive device packed with metal objects” was also detonated in the dining room of the campus, says CNN, adding that most of the dead appear to be teenagers.

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Another explosive device was reportedly found with the body of the alleged attacker, who has been identified as Vladislav Roslyakov. It has been disarmed by Russian security forces. Several witnesses claim they heard at least two explosions.

One eye witness to the attack, Igor Zakharevsky, told BBC Russia: “I was at the epicentre of the first explosion, at the entrance, near the buffet.”

“I was in complete shock and one of my classmates started pulling me away. Then I heard several shots at intervals of two or three seconds. After a while there was another explosion.”

Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine four years ago and the conflict between Kiev and Russian-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine continues to this day.

No motive has been established for the attack, although one of Roslyakov’s friends has claimed he “hated the technical school very much” and had vowed “revenge” on his teachers.