Death toll rises to 10 in Graz school shooting – videos, pictures 🔄

GENEVA (AA) – The death toll from Tuesday’s school shooting in the Austrian city of Graz has risen to 10, including seven students, one teacher, and the suspected gunman, according to the local police. Graz school shooting details HERE:

Graz school shooting

The shooting occurred at a school on Dreierschutzengasse around 10 am local time (0800 GMT), prompting a swift evacuation. Students were transported to the nearby Helmut-List-Halle, where emergency psychologists and Red Cross personnel provided assistance.

Initial reports cited at least five fatalities, but the number increased as authorities confirmed additional deaths and injuries. Dozens of people are said to be seriously wounded.

Police in the state of Styria launched a large-scale response involving several units, including the elite Cobra special forces. Around noon, officials declared the situation safe, and emergency vehicles began withdrawing from the scene, Anadolu said.

Authorities believe the shooter, a 22-year-old former student of the school, acted alone. He reportedly entered the building armed with a legally owned pistol and shotgun, opened fire in two classrooms—one of them his former classroom—and then fatally shot himself in a school bathroom, according to Austrian media outlets including Krone and Salzburger Nachrichten.

“The situation is currently very unclear. It could be an active shooter situation,” police initially told the Austrian Press Agency, as uncertainty surrounded the possibility of a second perpetrator. While the investigation is ongoing, authorities have not ruled out that possibility.

Austria’s Interior Minister Gerhard Karner traveled to the scene, while the State Criminal Police Office of Styria continues to investigate the motive behind the attack.

Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen expressed deep sorrow in a statement on X: “This horror cannot be put into words. What happened today at a school in Graz strikes our country right in the heart. They were young people with their whole lives ahead of them. A teacher who accompanied them on their journey. There is nothing that can ease the pain felt by the parents, grandparents, siblings, and friends of those who were murdered.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also reacted on X, writing, “The news from Graz hits home. My thoughts are with the victims, their families, and friends. Schools are symbols of youth, hope, and the future. It is hard to bear when schools become places of death and violence.”

Police and government officials have emphasized ongoing support for survivors, and crisis intervention teams remain on-site to assist students and staff.

As we wrote last night, the Budapest to Lyon EasyJet flight makes an emergency landing in Graz – details HERE

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UPDATE – OrbĂĄn cabinet expresses condolences to Austrian Chancellor over Graz school shooting

MTI – Prime Minister Viktor OrbĂĄn has expressed his condolences to Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker over a school shooting in Graz earlier on Tuesday.

OrbĂĄn said in a letter that he was “deeply shaken” to have heard of the “terrible tragedy claiming several innocent lives”. “I would like to assure you that Hungary stands by Austria in this tragic moment,” he said.

OrbĂĄn also expressed his sympathies to the families of victims. “We share the pain of those grieving and are praying for the families of the victims and the speedy recovery of those injured,” he said.

Foreign minister PĂ©ter SzijjĂĄrtĂł also expressed his condolences to those involved in the “shocking” shooting incident in Graz earlier on Tuesday. “We are, naturally, sending our prayers to the families of those killed or injured,” he said. The government knows of no Hungarian victim, he added.

“We have an honorary consul in place, and I would like to ask … Hungarians to contact our consul or the embassy immediately if they were impacted, even indirectly; we will help,” he said.

Speaker expresses condolences over Graz school shooting

Speaker of Parliament LĂĄszlĂł KövĂ©r has expressed his condolences over Tuesday’s deadly school shooting in Graz.

In his letter to Walter Rosenkranz, president of Austria’s National Council, and Andrea Eder-Gitschthaler, president of the Federal Council, KövĂ©r said he had been “deeply shocked” to hear of the tragic shooting at Graz’s BORG secondary school. “Innocent children and their teacher fell victim to senseless and unfathomable aggression, sending all of Austria into deep mourning,” the speaker said.

KövĂ©r expressed his sincere condolences and sympathies on behalf of Hungary’s parliament to the families and friends of the victims and the people of Austria, wishing a speedy recovery to those injured in the attack. “We stand with you with our prayers,” he said.

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