Istanbul, November 6:
Eight people were killed and another seriously injured in shootings across three villages in west-central Turkiye on Thursday, prompting a major police operation to find the suspected gunman.
The attacks took place near Afyonkarahisar, between Ankara and Izmir. Two women were found with gunshot wounds in Yukaritandir village but died after being taken to hospital. Three bodies were later discovered in Kiyir village and another three in Ayazini, state news agency Anadolu reported.
Authorities said one person was critically injured and remained in hospital.
Turkish media released CCTV footage showing a man wearing a black jacket and white trousers carrying a rifle near a red minivan. Police later found the vehicle abandoned in mud near the university town of Eskisehir, about 100 km north of the shooting sites. The suspect was believed to have fled on foot.
Investigators were also examining a possible link between the attacks and an earlier shooting in central Afyonkarahisar, in which a woman was seriously injured.
The governor’s office confirmed the eight deaths and said security forces were continuing their search for the attacker. Authorities have not yet established a motive or confirmed whether the incidents were connected.