Nine people have been killed and dozens injured after an assailant opened fire at a school in western Canada, in one of the deadliest mass shootings in the country’s history. The suspect was later found dead from what appeared to be a self-inflicted injury.

Police found six people dead inside the high school in the remote town of Tumbler Ridge in British Columbia, with a further two bodies found at a residence believed to be connected to the incident.

Another person initially believed to have died on the way to hospital was later said to have survived, but remained in critical condition.

The suspected shooter was found dead at the school, police said, adding they did not believe there were any more suspects or an ongoing threat to the public.

Tumbler Ridge shooting: what we know so far

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Prime minister Mark Carney said he was “devastated” by the shootings. “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,” he said. “Our ability to come together in crisis is the best of our country – our empathy, our unity, and our compassion for each other.”

The prime minister’s office said Carney had suspended plans to travel to Germany on Wednesday for the Munich security conference.

More than two dozen people have been hospitalised – two with life-threatening injuries – in what British Columbia’s premier, David Eby, called an “unimaginable tragedy”. “It’s hard to know what to say on a night like tonight. It’s the kind of thing that feels like it happens in other places and not close to home,” Eby told reporters.

A police active-shooter alert sent to people in the area described the suspect as “female in a dress with brown hair”. Police Supt Ken Floyd later confirmed at a news conference that the suspect described in the alert was the same person found dead in the school. Police did not say how many of the victims were minors.

The District of Tumbler Ridge issued a statement on Tuesday afternoon, calling the shooting a “deeply distressing” incident for a community of less than 2,500.

“We recognise that many residents may be feeling shocked, scared and overwhelmed,” the district said. “In the days ahead, we know this will be difficult for many to process. Please check in on one another, lean on available supports, and know that Tumbler Ridge is a strong and caring community.”

Tumbler Ridge is a remote town in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in northern British Columbia, approximately 1,155km northeast of Vancouver.

Tumbler Ridge secondary school has 160 students in grades 7 to 12, roughly ages 12 to 18, according to its website. The school will be closed for the rest of the week and counselling will be made available to those in need, school officials said.

“There are no words that can ease the fear and pain that events like this cause in a school community,” the Tumbler Ridge Parent Advisory Council said in a statement. “We want families to know that the safety and wellbeing of students and staff are paramount, and we are grateful to the first responders and emergency personnel who acted quickly and professionally.”

Officials said the town’s small police force was on the scene within two minutes of receiving a call, and that victims were still being assessed hours after the incident. British Columbia’s public safety minister, Nina Krieger, said at a press conference: “Speed and professionalism saved lives today.”

Earlier, Krieger, said online that news of the shooting was “sending shockwaves through the community and the entire province”.

Police initially issued an emergency active shooter alert on Tuesday afternoon after receiving reports of a shooting at the secondary school at about 1.20pm. The alert told residents to shelter in place, lock their doors and refrain from going outside. The RCMP alert was lifted at 5.45pm.

Supt Floyd told reporters the scene of the shooting was “very dramatic” with extensive injuries. He said all remaining students and staff at the secondary school, numbering about 100 people, had been safely evacuated from the school.

Floyd said police wouldn’t comment on a possible motive.

“We’re following all leads to try to determine the connection to the shooter,” he said. “I think we will struggle to determine the ‘why’, but we will try our best to determine what transpired.”

The town’s health centre was placed on Code Orange, signifying a mass-casualty incident or large-scale emergency response. But given the rural nature of the community, at least two victims were airlifted to larger hospitals. Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service (STARS) said one of its aircraft from Grande Prairie, Alberta, was requested for the incident.

Because of Canada’s strict gun laws, which make it difficult to own both handguns or “assault-style weapons”, the country has experienced far fewer instances of mass violence compared with the United States. Still, the shooting is the second-deadliest school shooting in Canadian history. In 1989, a gunman killed 14 students at Montreal’s L’Ecole Polytechnique in an attack that targeted women. In 2016, five people were killed in a series in La Loche, Saskatchewan.

Speaking to reporters, Eby, a father of three, said news of the shooting “makes you want to hug your kids a little tighter”.

“Wrap these families with love. Not just tonight but tomorrow and into the future. This is something that will reverberate for years to come,” he said. He later added: “This is the kind of thing that feels like it happens in other places, and not close to home in a way that this feels like for many British Columbians and Canadians.”