Student stabs 21 people in school rampage

A 16-year-old student wielding two knives went on a stabbing rampage in the hallways of a Pittsburgh-area high school early yesterday, injuring 21 people, about half of them seriously, officials said.

The attacker moved stealthily through Franklin Regional High School, stabbing his victims in the torso and slashing arms and faces before anyone realised what was happening. Some of the injured taken to nearby hospitals were in critical condition.

Students described a scene of panic, with the school hastily evacuated after a fire alarm was pulled.