Austrians are in mourning after a lone gunman killed nine people at a school in Graz and injured 12 more on Tuesday morning in one of the country’s worst ever mass shootings.
Austrian chancellor Christian Stocker said the attack marked a “dark day in the history of our country” and a “national tragedy which has hit us deeply”.
The country’s president, Alexander Van der Bellen, said that “this horror cannot be captured in words”.
“These were young people who had their whole lives ahead of them. A teacher who accompanied them on their way,” he said.
Here’s what we know about the tragic shooting so far.
Where did it happen?
The shooting occurred around 10am at the BORG Dreierschutzengasse secondary school, near the historic centre of Graz.
Graz is the capital of the state of Styria, and Austria’s second-most populous city, with a population of about 300,000 people.
What do we know about the victims?
Nine people, including students, were killed in the shooting, according to police. Graz mayor Elke Kahr said at least seven of the dead were students, and one was an adult.
A further 12 people were injured. The Austrian Red Cross told local newspaper Kronen Zeitung that nine of those people were seriously injured, and two were in a critical condition.
The injured victims were taken to several hospitals across the city.
In a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, authorities confirmed few details about the victims, and did not release their ages.
Austrian interior minister Gerhard Karner said six of those killed in the shooting were females, and three were males.
The tenth casualty was the shooter, he said.
What do we know about the shooter?
The shooter was a 21-year-old who lived in the Graz area, police said.
He was a former pupil at BORG, but Mr Karner said he failed to complete his studies.
The former student used two firearms in the attack, which were being inspected by police. Authorities said the man had legally owned the weapons.
Police said they believed the gunman took his own life in the school’s toilet.
Mr Karner said “everything else is still speculation”, and investigators were working to find out the shooter’s motives.
What is happening now?
Austria has declared a three-day period of national mourning, following one of the largest peacetime tragedies in the country’s history.
The governor of Styria, Mario Kunasek, said no public events will be held in the state for the mourning period.
The police investigation into the shooting will continue.
