Eleven-year-old Yusuf clung tightly to his father, tears streaming down his face, as he mourned the loss of his dear friend Bayram, aged 10. Bayram was one of eight students and a teacher tragically killed on Wednesday when a 14-year-old classmate opened fire in their classroom—a shocking incident unprecedented in Türkiye.

“Our sorrow knows no bounds. These children were like family to us. They were so innocent,” lamented Vezir Yucel, Yusuf’s father, during the funeral of four victims on Thursday.

The devastating event drew over a thousand mourners to the southern province of Kahramanmaras, a testament to the shared grief of the community.

“Yusuf and Bayram had been teammates on the same football academy for a year and a half. They also enjoyed playing video games together. Bayram was a well-mannered, diligent boy,” Yucel recounted, tears welling up as he embraced his son.

The tragedy has sent shockwaves throughout Türkiye. Although the nation has faced numerous disasters, from earthquakes to mining accidents and terrorist attacks, a mass school shooting is an unprecedented horror.

“It’s heartbreaking beyond words. We didn’t personally know the victims, but such a tragedy should never befall children,” said Leyla Naz Kurtgoz, a 19-year-old student, as she attended the funeral with her mother.

She noted that the slain pupils had survived the devastating earthquake that struck Kahramanmaras and several other provinces in February 2023, killing around 60,000 people in Türkiye and neighbouring Syria.

The epicentre of the quake was close to Kahramanmaras, a conservative city of about 500,000 nestled at the foot of a mountain and heavily damaged by the tremor. Nearly 13,000 people died in the province.

“These children had already suffered so much because of the earthquake, which makes this even more devastating,” Kurtgoz said, dressed in black.

‘At rock bottom’

Outside a large mosque, the coffins of the young victims, all aged 10 or 11, were arranged side by side on the forecourt, each draped in a Turkish flag.

One father sat motionless beside the coffin of his daughter, 10‑year‑old Zeynep, accompanied by his young son perched silently on a stool. Nearby, other relatives pressed their faces against the coffins for a final farewell.

As an imam recited prayers, a middle‑aged man in the crowd burst into tears.

“It’s all piling up: the 2023 earthquake, COVID before that, and now this massacre,” said Ilker Bas, 18, standing with friends.

“Mentally, we are at rock bottom.”

A biology teacher from the city said her grief was “indescribable”, adding that she feared the attack could inspire others.

At the city cemetery, where several of the victims were laid to rest on Thursday afternoon, Nilgun Ruci sat alone, staring at the ground.

On Wednesday, the 55‑year‑old housewife rushed to Ayser Calik School after hearing gunshots.

“It was apocalyptic. People were running everywhere, searching for their children,” she said, wiping away tears.

When she arrived, she saw the daughter of a neighbour lying gravely wounded.

“She had been shot in the leg and the shoulder,” Ruci said. “At first I thought she had fainted. Today I learned that she died.”

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