A student has described the moment he realised an active shooter was loose at his school in a small north-western town in Canada, leaving 10 people dead in what authorities have described as an “unimaginable tragedy”.

The Tumbler Ridge Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and officers from surrounding towns responded to an active shooter situation at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School about 1.20pm today (8.20am AEDT).

The campus was thrown into lockdown, and the community was told to shelter in place.

On February 10, at approximately 1:20 p.m., Tumbler Ridge RCMP received a report of an active shooter at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. (Google Maps)

When officers entered the school, they found multiple victims alongside a person who they believed had carried out the shooting.

The perpetrator was found dead at the scene with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Six people were found dead inside the school, and another died on the way to hospital, according to the RCMP.

Two people were found dead at another location, believed to have been connected to the incident.

About 27 more have been injured, including two people with serious and life-threatening injuries.

“Approximately 25 others are being assessed and triaged at the local medical centre for non‑life‑threatening injuries,” the RCMP said in a statement.

RCMP Superintendent Ken Floyd said they have identified the suspect, but would not release their name at this time.

“We are not in a place now to be able to understand why or what may have motivated this tragedy,” he said at a press conference.

Police are conducting further searches of nearby homes to determine whether there are anymore injuries related to today’s events.

All other staff and students at the school were safely evacuated, with police looking to reunite children with their families.

Tumbler Ridge Secondary School grade 12 student Darian Quist and his mother. (CBC News)

Tumbler Ridge Secondary School grade 12 student Darian Quist told CBC News he was in mechanics class preparing to work on his car when his principal ran down the halls ordering everyone to close the doors and enter lockdown.

He did not think it was anything too serious until information started circulating about an active shooter.

“We realised how serious it really was, so we all barricaded up the doors with some iron tables and sat in that room for around two hours,” he said.

“I was on my phone with my mother the entire time.”

Almost three hours later, police took teachers and students out of lockdown and Quist was reunited with his mum.

“We’re going to grieve together, and I’m just thankful my son is sitting here beside me,” his mum, Shelley, told the broadcaster.

Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, which has 175 students from grades seven to 12, said it will be closed for the rest of the week due to the “tragic events”.

Floyd said it has been an “incredibly difficult day” for the small community.

“Our thoughts are with the families, loved ones, and all those impacted by this tragic incident,” he said.

British Columbia Premier David Eby said the shooting was a “devastating and unimaginable tragedy” at a press conference announcing the government would support the victims’ families and the wider community.

“We can’t imagine what the community is going through. But I know it’s causing us all to hug our kids a little tighter tonight,” he said at a press conference.

Canadian Prime Minister David Carney said he was “devastated” by the shooting.

“My prayers and deepest condolences are with the families and friends who have lost loved ones to these horrific acts of violence,” he said on X.

“I join Canadians in grieving with those whose lives have been changed irreversibly today, and in gratitude for the courage and selflessness of the first responders who risked their lives to protect their fellow citizens.”

The RCMP have not released the identity of the suspect yet. (Adobe Stock)

Tumbler Ridge is located in rural British Columbia in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, more than 1000 kilometres from the provincial capital, Vancouver.

It is a small town with just under 2400 residents recorded during the last census in 2021.

School shootings are rare in Canada, with the last one with fatalities occurring in 2024 when two people died in Toronto.

The shooting is Canada’s deadliest rampage since 2020, when a gunman in Nova Scotia killed 13 people and set fires that left another nine dead.

Canada’s government has responded to previous mass shootings with gun control measures, including a recently broadened ban on all guns it considers assault weapons.