A body lies on the ground as police officers take cover at the scene of a school shooting at Dawson College in Montreal, Sept. 13, 2006.

Two people including the suspected gunman were shot dead and 19 others were injured in a school shooting in Montreal on Wednesday, reports said.

Montreal paramedics confirmed 20 people were taken to hospital with injuries ranging from gunshot wounds to emotional shock following the shooting at Dawson College. One woman died in hospital from wounds sustained during the attack, officials confirmed.

"We heard that probably one of the three that had been transported to the [Montreal] General [Hospital] died later on," said Andr Champagne, a spokesman with Urgences Sant, the city's ambulance service.

Hospital officials said the other two critical patients were undergoing emergency surgery late Wednesday.

The suspected gunman was shot dead by police minutes after he opened fire at the students at Dawson College, an English-language university preparatory college serving about 10,000 students located in the heart of downtown Montreal.

Reporters said from Montreal that police received a call about the shooting just before 1 p.m. local time. Witnesses heard shots at about 12:45 p.m. that lasted for 30 minutes.

A police officer outside the college saw the gunman enter the building, and police quickly arrived at the scene. The suspect was shot dead as he tried to leave the school.

Panicked students described a scene of chaos and violence, as people fled or hid themselves from the shooter.

"He shot right at us. And when he shot at us we jumped and ran the other way," said student Ali Hussein. He added that one bullet struck a wall close to where he was standing.

A psychology teacher, said the college is "usually a really quiet, peaceful place. No problems, no knives, anything."

The incident is horrifyingly reminiscent of another school shooting in Montreal. On Dec. 6, 1989, a 25-year-old man shot 27 female engineering students at the Ecole Poly technique, killing 14, before fatally shooting himself.

A body lies on the ground at the scene of a school shooting at Dawson College in Montreal, Sept. 13, 2006.

Editor: Yan