All victims of Finnish school shooting now identified

Helsinki - Finnish police said Friday all 10 victims of this week's school shooting in western Finland have now been identified, but withheld their names.

The bodies of the victims - eight female students, one male student and a male teacher - were taken to Helsinki for formal identification after the bloodshed Tuesday at the trade school in Kauhajoki.

The identification process included matching DNA and dental records since the gunman, identified as Matti Saari, had set fires in the school and several of the bodies were burned.

Autopsies and other forensic tests were to determine the cause of death. Some victims may have died of asphyxiation or burns.

Sari, 22, died Tuesday of self-inflicted wounds after the rampage.

The shooting in Kauhajoki came less than a year after eight people, including six students, were killed in another high school shooting in Jokela, 60 kilometres north of Helsinki. (dpa)

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