Emergency services are in attendance at a school shooting in Austria that has killed at least 10 people.
Police were alerted to the incident around 10 a.m. local time in Graz’s Dreierschützengasse district, local media are reporting.
Officials have now confirmed 10 people, including the perpetrator, have been killed and several others are injured.
At least 10 people have reportedly been killed at the BORG Dreierschützengasse school
Image credits: Google Maps
The suspect is a 21-year-old former pupil who never graduated, police confirmed. Teachers and pupils at the school are among those seriously injured, ORF reported.
In a press conference hours after the incident, police said 12 other people had been injured, some seriously.
Salzburger Nachrichten is reporting that the gunman is believed to have used two weapons: a pistol and a shotgun. He obtained those legally and has no prior criminal history.
The outlet reports that the suspect targeted two classrooms in the school and later died by suicide.
The Styrian Police Department confirmed 10 deaths and several injuries and said they were called to the school following reports of gunshots.
"The location of the incident is confirmed as BORG Dreierschützengasse," the force said in a statement. "Several emergency services and Cobra vehicles are deployed."
The school has been evacuated, and members of the public are being urged to avoid the area.
"The school was evacuated and all persons were taken to a safe meeting point," police added.
"The situation is secure. No further danger is expected."
In later update, they said: "Ten fatalities—including the perpetrator—and several serious injuries are confirmed."
The meeting point for the students' parents is at the ASKÖ Stadium, while students and teachers were temporarily housed in the Helmut List Halle.
Unverified footage of the incident has been widely shared on social media.
Image credits: Anadolu / Getty Images
In some of the clips, children can be heard screaming as loud gunshots ring out in the background.
Other footage shows first responders rushing to a medevac helicopter with casualties.
Mayor Elke Kahr described the incident as a "terrible tragedy," Kronen Zeitung reported.
"All emergency organizations are acting with caution," Kahr said.
The newspaper also reported speaking with the husband of a teacher who was inside the school at the time of the shooting.
She described hearing several gunshots and said she had barricaded herself and the students inside a classroom.
Vienna's mayor Michael Ludwig sent his thoughts to the victims and their families.
"The news from #Graz shocks me deeply. My deepest sympathy goes out to the victims, their families, and all those currently experiencing immeasurable suffering," he posted on X.
"It is precisely in moments like these that we must stand together as a society. Hatred and violence must never prevail. Our response must be an even stronger commitment to solidarity and respect."
Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen released a statement saying the country was in mourning.
"This horror cannot be put into words. What happened today in a school in Graz, hits our country right in the heart," he said.
"They were young people who had their whole lives ahead of them. A teacher who accompanied her on her journey.
"There is nothing that can ease the pain at this moment can, which the parents, the grandparents, the siblings, the friends of the murdered feel. Austria is mourning. And in this hour we stand together.
"We stand together to face the pain. We stand together for all those to be there for those who are hurt. Today and in the difficult days to come, our country will show that in this togetherness our strength lies."
Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker has described the incident as a national tragedy.
"The school shooting in Graz is a national tragedy that has deeply shaken our entire country," he said in a statement.
"This incomprehensible act has suddenly torn young people from the lives they still had ahead of them. There are no words for the pain and grief that we all – all of Austria – are feeling right now.
"My thoughts are with the families and parents who lost their children, their siblings, and their loved ones. My condolences go out to those who suffered injuries and immeasurable emotional distress as a result of this unimaginable act of violence, to all the students and school staff.
"What happened today affects us all—as individuals, as parents, as a society. A school is a place of trust, security, and hope.
"The fact that this safe space was so brutally shattered leaves us stunned. I thank the emergency services who acted quickly and prudently under the most difficult circumstances. And I thank those who are now investigating what happened and helping to process it.
"Today, it's all about compassion. And about being there for one another. In these difficult times, humanity is our strongest force."
The attack comes shortly before the tenth anniversary of the Graz car attack on June 20, 2015.
Three people were killed and 47 others were injured when Alen Rizvanović sped through Graz, later exiting his vehicle and stabbing two people.
Rizvanović was jailed for life and died by suicide in prison in 2023.