At least 10 people are dead and several others injured in a school shooting in the southern Austrian city of Graz.
The suspected assailant, believed to be a lone shooter, was among the dead, police posted on X. Authorities have not yet disclosed a potential motive for the violence.
Officials have not given further information about the perpetrator or the victims.
Police confirmed the suspected perpetrator as a 22-year-old shooter, who used to be a student at BORG, but he is reported to have shot himself.
The school shooting on Tuesday is considered one of the most serious shootings in the history of Austria.
Chancellor Christian Stocker was on his way to the scene in Austria’s second-largest city along with top officials as condolences and messages of support poured in from national and European leaders.
“This horror cannot be put into words,” President Alexander Van der Bellen wrote on X. “Austria is in mourning.”
Police said the shots were fired at an upper secondary school around 10 am (0800 GMT), with special units quickly responding to the scene. Students at such schools are typically 14 years and older.
The building was evacuated, with students and teachers escorted to a safe meeting place.
Parents and uninjured students were taken to nearby buildings and cared for by crisis intervention teams, the city said.
Police wrote later on X there was “no further danger” and that the “situation is secure.”
A spokesman for the local Red Cross said more than 160 rescue workers were sent to the scene.
Several rescue helicopters were also in operation, while a special emergency protocol was activated to ensure medical care for numerous injured individuals.
European leaders ‘horrified’ by shooting
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote in German on X: “The news from Graz hits home. My thoughts are with the victims, their families, and friends.”
“Schools are symbols of youth, hope, and the future,” she added. “It is difficult to bear when schools become places of death and violence.”
European Council President António Costa said he was “horrified by the news of the school shooting in Graz.”
“A senseless act of violence in a place where children should feel safe and protected,” he wrote on X.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Friedrich Merz also extended their condolences over the deadly shooting.
“It was with great dismay and deep sadness that I learnt of the act of violence in Graz, in which so many innocent people lost their lives,” Steinmeier wrote to his Austrian counterpart Alexander Van der Bellen.
“Your German neighbours are with you in their hearts,” Steinmeier said.
Merz sent a message to Chancellor Stocker, saying he was “deeply shocked that young people were torn from their lives so abruptly.”
Three days of mourning to be announced
Austria will observe three days of national mourning following the deadly shooting at a secondary school in Graz.
Chancellor Stocker is set to formally announce the decision this afternoon, a spokesperson for the chancellor’s office told dpa.
Flags at the presidential office, the chancellery, and other official buildings are to be flown at half-mast during the mourning period.
Graz, in south-eastern Austria, is home to around 300,000 people.
The incident also caused a double-digit number of serious injuries, including students and teachers, local media cited the police as saying.
By Agencies
Email your news TIPS to Editor@Kahawatungu.com — this is our only official communication channel
