The Finnish village of Jokela, where an 18-year-old gunman killed eight people and himself at a high school on Wednesday, was quiet as night fell, with friends and family of the dead and injured in deep shock.

"This is a peaceful place, nothing like this has happened and nothing like this is to be expected either," Tuusula mayor Hannu Joensivu said.

Eight people were confirmed dead in the shooting in southern Finland - one day after a video predicting the mass killings was published on the internet.

Finnish police said five male pupils, two females and the middle-aged female principal were shot dead when the 18-year-old pupil entered the building at around midday with a .22 calibre handgun and started shooting randomly.