Austrian school shooting leaves 10 people dead

Posted by
Check your BMI

A former student opened fire at a school in Austria's second-biggest city on Tuesday, killing nine people and wounding at least 12 others before taking his own life, authorities said.

There was no immediate information on the motive of the 21-year-old man, who wasn't previously known to police.

He had two weapons, which he appeared to have owned legally, police said.

READ MORE: Israel says Greta Thunberg deported on flight to Europe

Graz, Austria school shooting

toonsbymoonlight

Special forces were among those sent to the BORG Dreierschützengasse high school, about a kilometre from Graz's historic centre, after a call at 10am (6pm AEST).

At 11.30am (7.30pm AEST), police wrote on social network X that the school had been evacuated and everyone had been taken to a safe meeting point.

Police said they didn't immediately have information on the man's motive, but said that he killed himself in a toilet after fatally shooting nine people.

The shooter was a former student at the school who didn't finish his studies, Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said at a press conference in Graz.

Graz, Austria school shootingGraz, Austria school shooting

Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker said there would be three days of national mourning, with the Austrian flag lowered to half-staff and a national minute of mourning at 10am Wednesday.

He said that it was "a dark day in the history of our country."

Photos from the scene showed a large police deployment, including at least one helicopter and emergency vehicles around the school.

President Alexander Van der Bellen said that "this horror cannot be captured in words."

"These were young people who had their whole lives ahead of them. A teacher who accompanied them on their way," he said.

Graz, Austria school shooting

"Schools are symbols for youth, hope and the future," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X.

"It is hard to bear when schools become places of death and violence."

Graz, Austria's second-biggest city, is located in the southeast of the country and has about 300,000 inhabitants.

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments