Helsinki - All 10 victims of a school shooting in the west of Finland a week ago were shot at close range, police said Monday.

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

The gunman, identified as Matti Saari, 22, died the same day of self-inflicted injuries a few hours after the rampage.

Lead investigator Jari Neulaniemi told reporters that the victims had been shot at close range, some had been hit in the chest or head.

It was still not clear if any of the victims died of asphyxiation or burns due to fires Saari set after the shootings.

Meanwhile, students and staff assembled Monday in provisional premises in Kauhajoki since the school building was damaged by smoke and fire.

Classes were not due to resume until the end of the week but students and staff were offered talks and counselling on how to cope with grief, Finnish news agency STT reported.

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.

Tighter rules for gun license applications took affect Monday with a requirement of a medical certificate stating the applicant did not intend to harm others or themselves, police said.

A first-time applicant was also not to be allowed to get a license for a handgun without having been a member of a shooting club for at least a year. Such licenses were also to be time-limited.

Interior Ministry estimates suggest there are 1.6 million registered weapons, mainly for hunting, owned by about 650,000 people. (dpa)