Nantes school stabbing: One dead and at least three reported injured in France attack

One person has died and at least three others have been seriously injured after a at a school this morning. The horror unfolded at Notre-Dame-de-Toutes-Aides private in Nantes, .

sources say several people were reportedly stabbed by a fellow high school pupil. at 12pm local time. The alleged attacker was arrested by police on the scene after being restrained by a member of staff. According to the alleged attacker armed with a knife allegedly went up to the second floor of the school and following an argument, before returning to the first floor and stabbing a another three students.

The deceased pupil was said to be a second year high school student, with BFM reporting the deceased victim was female. services descended upon the school at around 12.45pm and are currently still on the scene. The three pupils left with critical injuries are currently receiving medical treatment and a medical-psychological unit has been opened within the school.

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The 15-year-old detained is a student at the school and was not previously known to police, a spokesperson said. He was dressed all in black, and was wearing a helmet and a balaclava. According to local media, two knives were found near to the scene, alongside his school belongings. There is no indication of a terrorist motive.

Rue des Épinettes is now completely sealed off to all foot and road travel. According to a local reporter at the scene, students were seen crying and comforting one another.

Worried parents rushed to the school, which was cordoned off by police as students were evacuated to the school's multipurpose room at around 1pm. A first-year student who was in the the school at lunchtime told "We left our classroom at 1pm and saw a lot of students crying. We didn't understand why. We're very shocked."

"We only see this on television. We didn't think it could happen in our school," another a final-year student said. "We still haven't realized what happened; it's shocking," said another.

Meanwhile a shaken student also told a local reporter: "We had just gone to lunch in town and heard the news on the tram. It's horrible. We had exams this morning and we had more today. It was just another day".

And another student at the school recalled: "I was in the foyer, we saw a lot of people running around the courtyard, I heard that someone had a knife. We didn't know whether to believe it."

"Then we saw someone from IT holding the door to the high school building, he was yelling at us to get out."

Police Nationale 44 tweeted: "Our police officers are committed daily to ensuring the safety of your children near schools. Today, a control operation was carried out near a high school in the North of Nantes."

Authorities have not released the identity of the alleged attacker. The motive for the knife attack is currently being investigated by police.