Two teens killed in shooting at Brazil school

Two teenagers, aged 16 and 17, were shot dead Thursday after gunmen opened fire on a school parking lot in northeastern Brazil, the state government said in a statement.

Another three teens, one aged 16 and two aged 17, were wounded in the incident in the town of Sobral in northern Ceara state.

"The suspects fired the gunshots from the school sidewalk, hitting the victims in the school's parking lot," read the statement.

Authorities have not provided details on a possible motive, and the suspects are still on the run.

"During the incident, a certain amount of drugs, a precision scale, and packaging were seized from one of the victims," said the statement.

One of the injured teenagers, aged 16, was known to police and is "facing charges of homicide, robbery and illegal possession of a firearm."

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A police source told AFP that the gunmen were on motorcycles. 

Ceara Governor Elmano de Freitas expressed his "deep sorrow" on X at the "intolerable" violence, adding he had ordered police forces boosted throughout the region to "capture the criminals."

"It is time to unite and work together to preserve schools as sacred places of peace and welcome," Education Minister Camilo Santana wrote on the social media platform.

Brazil is battling increased violence linked to rivalries between drug trafficking gangs, which have expanded rapidly into the poor northeastern region of the country in recent years.

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