10 people, mostly students, killed in mass shooting in Austrian school, several injured

United News of India

2 days ago

Graz, June 10 (UNI) At least 10 people, mostly students, were killed and several were badly injured in a shooting incident in a secondary school in the Austrian city of Graz. The suspected shooter reportedly committed suicide later in one of the school's toilets.
As per The New York Times, Austria's elite COBRA police forces along with a police helicopter, arrived at the crime scene after shots were reported.
The mayor of Graz, Elke Kahr, said that the suspected shooter, several students and another adult, thought to be a teacher, were among the fatalities in the attack, the deadliest in Austria's postwar history.
The Austrian Press Agency reported that as many as 30 people were injured.
According to preliminary reports, the perpetrator was a 22-year-old ex-student who had described himself as a victim of bullying in the past.
He reportedly fired shots in two classrooms, using a pistol and a shotgun, killing and injuring multiple pupils and teachers. The dead reportedly included seven pupils and one adult. The incident occurred at about 10am local time (0900 BST).
Ninety minutes later police said there was 'no further danger' after a major security operation involving special forces and police helicopters.
The Austrian Chancellor, Christian Stocker, condemning the incident wrote on X 'The shooting rampage at a school in Graz is a national tragedy that has deeply shaken our entire country.'
Austria's President, Alexander Van der Bellen, said: 'What happened today … strikes our country at the heart. These were young people who had their whole lives ahead of them. A teacher who accompanied them on their journey.'
Families gathered at a nearby sports hall where crisis intervention teams were on hand. The area around the school was cordoned off and public transport was diverted, with all streets surrounding the school guarded by armed officers.
A spokesperson for the Austrian Red Cross told the public broadcaster ORF that more than 160 responders were at the scene, including emergency doctors and paramedics. Two information points were available for the school's students and relatives.
Austria last experienced a major mass attack such as this more than a decade ago, when a Bosnian man killed three people and wounded about three dozen others after driving a car into crowds on the streets of the city and then attacking bystanders with a knife.