A gunman opened fire in the Perm State University in the Perm city of Russia on Monday, leaving five people dead and six wounded, according to Russia's Investigative Committee.

The Health Ministry of the Perm region reported 14 people wounded. The different numbers couldn't be immediately reconciled. The unidentified perpetrator used a non-lethal gun, according to the Perm State University press service.

Students and staff of the university locked themselves in rooms, and the university urged those who could leave the campus to do so. The gunman was later detained, Russia's Interior Ministry said.

The Investigative Committee has opened a murder probe in the aftermath of the incident. The state Tass news agency cited an unnamed source in the law enforcement as saying that some students jumped out of the windows of a building.

The regional health ministry among those wounded were injuries both from the shooting and from trying to escape the building.

The student who opened fire at a university in Russia on Monday is alive and being treated in hospital, Reuters reported, quoting the Investigative Committee law enforcement agency said. It contradicts the earlier statement from the university that he had been killed.

This copy was updated to incorporate latest developments

(Edited by : Yashi Gupta)

First Published:Sept 20, 2021 3:14 PM IST