At least eight people have been killed in a school shooting in the Austrian city of Graz, according to reports.
Austrian police confirmed that a major operation was underway in the city on Tuesday morning after gunshots were heard inside the school. Austria’s interior ministry has now confirmed that there are several deaths.
Local newspaper Kronen Zeitung reported that at least eight fatalities have been confirmed. Police said the situation is secure and no further danger is expected after the school was evacuated with everyone taken to a safe meeting point.
Follow the latest updates on the Graz shooting on our live blog.
The suspected perpetrator, reportedly a pupil, is believed to have killed himself, ORF reported, but it is unclear whether the student’s reported death is included in the total reported victim toll.
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…
