Austria Mourns After Devastating School Shooting Claims Eleven Lives
(MENAFN) Austria entered a period of national mourning on Tuesday following a devastating school shooting that authorities say "struck the heart" of the nation.
At least 11 individuals, including the attacker, lost their lives in a deadly shooting at a school in Graz, Austria’s second-largest city, according to reports from a local news agency and other local outlets. An additional 11 people sustained severe injuries and remain hospitalized.
Described as one of the most harrowing mass shootings in Austrian history, the attack has sent shockwaves throughout the country, the news agency reported.
President Alexander Van der Bellen declared three days of national mourning and ordered flags flown at half-staff. “What happened today in a school in Graz strikes our country at the heart,” he said.
High-ranking government officials, including Chancellor Christian Stocker, Vice-Chancellor Andreas Babler, and Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger, traveled to Graz on Tuesday evening to attend a commemorative event honoring the victims.
“Schools are symbols of youth, hope, and the future. It's hard to bear when schools become places of death and violence,” stated European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on X.
The shooting unfolded shortly before 10 a.m. local time (0800 GMT) at the BORG school on Dreierschutzengasse, located in Graz’s Lend district, according to the news agency. Authorities identified the gunman as a 21-year-old former student of the institution, who reportedly died by suicide at the scene.
Law enforcement swiftly responded, deploying police forces and a helicopter to secure the area. The school was evacuated, and police confirmed on X that there is no ongoing threat.
A national moment of silence is scheduled for 10 a.m. local time on Wednesday, while public festivities have been either canceled or rescheduled.
“You don't have words for such things. Austria is such a lovely country. We stay together, we live together, and such tragedies like this today is unbelievable,” a local resident of Graz remarked.
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