UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres has expressed his sorrow over Tuesday’s deadly shooting at a school in rural Canada that left at least eight dead and 25 wounded.

Mr Guterres was “saddened to learn of the tragic shooting in Tumble Ridge, British Columbia,” his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, said at the daily news briefing on Wednesday.

“Guterres extends his deepest condolences to those affected and his sympathies to the government and people of Canada,” Mr Dujarric said.

According to media reports, the dead included at least three female students, two male students and a teacher.

Two additional people were found dead at a nearby home, who local police have reportedly identified as the suspect’s mother and stepbrother.

The suspect, who was born male but was transitioning and identified as female, according to police, was found at the school having died from an apparent self-inflicted wound.

Two of the dozens injured were airlifted to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Tumbler Ridge, located in the Canadian Rockies more than 1,000 kilometres northeast of Vancouver, is a small community near the Alberta border.

The secondary school serves around 175 students from Grades seven to 12.

(NAN)