A former pupil opened fire at a school in Graz on Tuesday, killing 10 people and then himself in what Austria’s chancellor called a “dark day in the history of our country”.
The 21-year-old was armed with two guns, both of which he had a licence for, police said. His motive was not yet known.
Students and teachers barricaded themselves in classrooms or fled, according to eyewitnesses.
More than 300 police officers were called to the Dreierschutzengasse school in the city centre at 10am, where they found the bodies of six females and three males, interior minister Gerhard Karner said. A 10th victim, an adult, was taken to hospital with critical injuries but died later.
Follow the latest updates on the Graz shooting on our live blog.
The shooter killed himself in the school toilets. The Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper said in an unconfirmed report that the suspect had been a victim of bullying. Armed with a pistol and shotgun, he opened fire on pupils in two classrooms, one of which had once been his own, it said.
Chancellor Christian Stocker called for three days of mourning, calling it a “dark day in the history of our country” and a “national tragedy which has hit us deeply”.
“Through this incomprehensible act, young people have been torn from the lives they still had ahead of them. There are no words to express the pain and grief that everyone across Austria is feeling right now.”
A minute’s silence will take place at 10am local time on Wednesday.
Police said shortly before midday that the school, for students aged 15 and older, was secure and that all survivors had been safely evacuated.
Survivors and those with minor injuries were cared for in a nearby hall where they were reunited with their parents.
“My son called me today to say that he’s in school and being shot at, and that he thinks he’s going to die,” one mother told reporters.
Mark Nolden, a 22-year-old student, told Kronen Zeitung: “I live across the street in the housing estate, and I know some children who attend this school. This is a huge shock for me. I hope everyone is okay. It’s a situation like something out of a movie, especially the uncertainty.”
Local state governor Mario Kunasek (FPÖ) said: “What happened today in Graz is incomprehensible. As governor of Styria and as a father, I am deeply saddened by this insane act, which has caused so much harm and incredible suffering. My thoughts are with the innocent victims, families, and teachers.”
The shooting took place shortly before the tenth anniversary of a shooting in Graz on 20 June 2015, in which three people were killed in an attack that scarred the local community for years.
Julia Ebner, an extremism expert at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue think tank, said the incident appeared to be the worst school shooting in Austria’s post-war history.
Austria has one of the most heavily armed civilian populations in Europe, with an estimated 30 firearms per 100 persons, according to the Small Arms Survey, an independent research project.
“I am deeply shaken that young people were torn from their lives so abruptly,” German chancellor Friedrich Merz, one of a number of foreign leaders who expressed shock at the shooting, said in a message to Mr Stocker. “We hope that their loved ones can find comfort in the company of their families and friends in this dark hour.”
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
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