1 dead as student opens fire in Russia college

One person was killed and three others were injured on Thursday when a student opened fire at a college in Russia's Far Eastern Amur Region, authorities said.

The shooter committed suicide by turning the gun on himself after the shooting at the college in the city of Blagoveshchensk, the state-run TASS news agency reported.

"Bodies of two young men, including the shooter, were found at the site of the incident. Also, according to early reports, three were injured," the Amur Region department said.

"Preliminary information suggests that the gunman committed suicide using his weapon. It is registered as belonging to this citizen."

The statement added that a man ran up to a road police squad and informed them about the shooting in a college building nearby. Police spotted an armed man in the second-storey window, who fired a shot at them. The officers returned fire, and the gunman was subsequently blocked in a lecture hall.

Police said the shooter's conflict with fellow students was a possible reason for the incident.

The Russian Investigative Committee said on its website it had launched a criminal case into the shooting.