At least 10 people are dead following a mass shooting at the BORG Dreierschützengasse high school in Graz, Austria, according to state police.
Among the dead were eight students, one adult, and the suspected gunman in the deadliest mass shooting in Austria’s postwar history.
Mayor Elke Kahr called the shooting a “terrible tragedy” and Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker said in a statement on X that it “has deeply shaken our entire country.” Stocker has cancelled all appointments today and is on his way to Graz.
Local media reported that 28 people injured in the attack are also being treated in hospital, according to the BBC.
Special forces were among those sent to the school after police received a phone call at 10 a.m. local time in Austria’s second largest city. The school has been evacuated and police wrote on X that everyone has been taken to a safe meeting point and the situation is “secured,” AP reported.
Police said that students from the high school will later be taken to the local ASKÖ Stadium, where they can then be picked up by parents and relatives.
Local media has reported that the suspected gunman is a former student, aged 22. Police said they believe the assailant acted alone.
He carried a pistol and shotgun and opened fired in two classrooms, Reuters reported.
Tuesday’s incident is the first significant mass shooting in Austria since November 2020, when a 20-year-old gunman killed four people and injured 23 others. Islamic State later claimed responsibility for the attack.
