At least 18 people died and scores more were injured at a Crimea college on Wednesday after a student allegedly detonated an explosive before opening fire with a hunting rifle.

The attack took place at a polytechnic school in the Crimean town of Kerch, a strategic city from where a new bridge connects the contested peninsula with mainland Russia.

The Kremlin-appointed head of Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, said the suspect was an 18-year-old student at the college.

He was later identified in the Russian press as Vladislav Roslyakov, a student who had reportedly obtained a hunting license - allowing him to purchase hunting rifles and shotguns - early last month.

A photo of Roslyakov weilding a rifle in a campus stairwell was widely circulated on social social media after the attack.

Reports suggest that, beside detonating an explosive, Roslyakov opened fire on fellow students and teachers. According to Mr Aksyonov, the shooter killed himself during the attack.

Videos from the scene circulated on Russian social media show terror and confusion on the campus. One video shared on a popular Telegram channel, Mash, featured a recording of a woman telling her friend about the explosion and possible shooters.