19 children, 1 teacher killed in Texas school shooting

Officials say 18-year-old gunman entered Robb Elementary School in small town of Uvalde, killing 21.

An 18-year-old gunman has killed at least 19 children at a primary school in the US state of Texas, officials said, in the deadliest school shooting in nearly a decade and the latest gruesome moment for a country scarred by a string of mass shootings.

The death toll also included two adults, authorities said. Governor Greg Abbott said one of the two was a teacher.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday afternoon, Abbott said an 18-year-old gunman opened fire at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, a small community about 80km (50 miles) west of San Antonio.

Abbott said the gunman was killed, apparently by police officers responding to the scene.

“The shooter was … an 18-year-old male who resided in Uvalde. It is believed that he abandoned his vehicle and entered into the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde with a handgun and he may have also had a rifle, but that is not yet confirmed,” the governor said.

Uvalde Memorial Hospital had said on Facebook earlier on Tuesday that 13 children had been transferred there for treatment. It said two people were deceased on arrival