‘At least eight dead in Graz school shooting’ with main police operation underway in Austria
At least eight people have been killed in a school shooting in the Austrian city of Graz, according to reports.
A major police operation got underway on Tuesday morning after gunshots were heard inside the school. Austria’s interior ministry has now confirmed several deaths.
Local newspaper Kronen Zeitung reported that at least eight people were killed, including the shooter, who is believed to have killed himself. It is unclear whether the shooter’s reported death is included in the total victim toll.
Follow the latest updates on the Graz shooting on our live blog.
Police said shortly after 11:30am local time (10:30am UK time) the situation is secure and no further danger is expected, after the school was evacuated with everyone taken to a safe meeting point.
The husband of a teacher who is barricaded in the classroom with her students has revealed to Krone newspaper that his wife heard several gunshots. Parents of students who escaped have been permitted to see their children, while injured students are being cared for in the nearby Helmut List Hall.
A local shopkeeper who did not want to be named told The Independent that there are police “everywhere” in the area – but that she was unsure what had taken place.
Police said an operation was underway in a street called Dreierschuetzengasse, on which there is a secondary school, but declined to further comment.
The building is currently being searched by authorities and the public have been warned to avoid the area.
The shooting took place shortly before the tenth anniversary of the Graz shooting on 20 June 2015, which killed three people in an attack which has scarred the local community for years.
More to follow…
Source: independent.co.uk
