Gunman dead after shooting eight at German school

Eight people were injured today when a masked gunman stormed a high school in north-western Germany in an incident that ended with his death, police said.

It was not immediately clear how the man died, but police spokesman Klaus Laackmann said the school had been cleared and the students taken to safety.

The man stormed into the Geschwister Scholl school at about 9.30am (0830 GMT) in the town of Emsdetten, near the border with the Netherlands, and fired several shots, police spokesman Josef Brinker said.

Among the injured were several students, a female teacher and the head caretaker, he said.