Key points
- Eight people were killed and one was seriously injured in shootings at three villages in Afyonkarahisar province, western Türkiye, on Thursday evening, the provincial governor's office said.
- Two women found wounded on a road in Yukarıtandır village died in hospital, and three bodies were found in each of Kıyır and Ayazini villages, the state news agency Anadolu reported.
- Police and gendarmerie teams are searching for the gunman, who fled the area by car, and the motive for the attacks is not known.
- The investigation is being coordinated by the Afyonkarahisar Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the governor's office said.
Eight people were shot dead and one was seriously injured in attacks at three villages in western Türkiye on Thursday evening, local officials said, as security forces launched a manhunt for the gunman. Read more: Poland arrests four on spying charges over military components sent to Russia, security agency says
"Unfortunately, eight of our citizens have lost their lives, and one has been seriously injured in armed attacks in our province," the Afyonkarahisar governor's office said, in a statement reported by AFP.
Three villages in one evening
Two women with gunshot wounds were found on a road in Yukarıtandır village and taken to hospital, where they died despite treatment, Anadolu reported. Three more bodies were found in Kıyır village, about a half-hour drive to the north-east, and another three in Ayazini village, a further half-hour drive east, the agency said. Another person was found in a critical condition and was being treated in hospital.
Afyonkarahisar lies in a rural area roughly halfway between the capital, Ankara, and the coastal city of Izmir. The attacks took place in the early evening, AFP reported.
The key figures
| Measure | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| People killed | 8 | Afyonkarahisar governor's office, via AFP |
| People seriously injured | 1 | Afyonkarahisar governor's office, via AFP |
| Villages where attacks took place | 3 — Yukarıtandır, Kıyır, Ayazini | Anadolu, via AFP |
| Bodies found in Kıyır village | 3 | Anadolu, via AFP |
| Bodies found in Ayazini village | 3 | Anadolu, via AFP |
The search for the gunman
NTV, a private Turkish television channel, reported that police were chasing a suspect driving a red car who was seen leaving the area. Bianet, an independent Turkish news outlet, reported that police were searching for the suspect or suspects and that the motive of the attacks was not clear.
"The judicial process is being conducted with due care under the coordination of the Afyonkarahisar Chief Public Prosecutor's Office," the governor's office said, according to Bianet.
What is not known yet
The authorities have not publicly identified a suspect, and no motive has been given for the attacks. Officials have also not said where the seriously injured person was found. Europe Unfolded will report developments as they are confirmed.
Updates & corrections
Published 5 November 2026.
No updates or corrections have been made to this article since publication.
Sources
- Arab News (AFP), "Eight killed in mass shooting in rural west Turkiye: officials", 5 November 2026, on the death toll, the governor's office statement, the village-by-village account, and the NTV report of a suspect in a red car: arabnews.com
- Bianet, "Eight killed in multiple shootings in Turkey's Afyonkarahisar", 5 November 2026, on the toll and the villages, the search for the suspect or suspects, the unclear motive, and the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office coordinating the investigation: bianet.org
- Gulf News, "Eight Dead in Rural Turkey Shooting: Police Launch Manhunt for Gunman", 5 November 2026, corroborating the toll, the three villages, and the manhunt: gulfnews.com
- APA, "Death toll from armed attack in Türkiye rises to 8 — UPDATED", 5 November 2026, on the rising toll as reported by NTV: en.apa.az