BRITAIN: A teenager was in police custody last night following the fatal stabbing of a 14-year-old boy during a fight at a secondary school.
The victim, named locally as Luke Walmsley, was stabbed at Birkbeck School in North Somercotes, near Louth, Lincolnshire, around 10 a.m.
He was rushed to Grimsby Hospital by air ambulance but was later pronounced dead, Lincolnshire Police said.
A 15-year-old fellow pupil was arrested and taken to Skegness police station.
Mr David Hart, general secretary of the National Association of Headteachers, said the incident would "send shockwaves" through the school system.
The fight is thought to have started in a corridor.
The school was closed immediately and all 276 pupils sent home, many in a state of shock.
Last night, a small number of children were gathered outside the school as police officers began their investigation into what is being treated as a "suspicious death".
Just inside the gates, on a small grassed area, were four bunches of flowers.
One card read: "Luke, you'll forever be in our minds. Live in peace. Kirsty, Tyler and Stacey."
Headteacher Mr Gary Loveridge left the school this evening without commenting to waiting reporters.
But Lincolnshire County Council spokesman Mr Steve Bishop described the stabbing as a "shocking incident" and said it was "totally out of character".
He said it was "traumatic time" for the school's staff, its pupils and their parents and confirmed the school would remain closed tomorrow.
The area where the stabbing took place has now been sealed off while police carry out forensic investigations.