The Czech Republic has declared a day of mourning after a 24-year-old student shot dead his father, before killing 14 people and wounding 25 others at his Prague university in the country’s worst-ever mass shooting.
Following a special cabinet meeting, President Petr Pavel said December 23 would be a day of mourning with flags on official buildings to be flown at half-mast and people asked to observe a minute’s silence at noon.
“I would express my great sadness along with helpless anger at the unnecessary loss of so many young lives,” Pavel said.
“I would like to express my sincere condolences to all relatives of the victims, to all who were at this tragic incident, the most tragic in the history of the Czech Republic.”
The shooting erupted on Thursday afternoon at the Charles University’s Faculty of Arts, across the river from Prague Castle and near other historic sites in the picturesque city including the 14th-century Charles Bridge.
Media images showed students evacuating the building with their hands in the air, and others perched on a ledge near the roof trying to hide from the attacker, while students barricaded classrooms with desks and chairs.
“I can confirm 14 victims of the horrible crime and 25 wounded, of which 10 seriously,” police chief Martin Vondrasek told reporters after the shooting.
All the victims were killed inside the building, he added. Media reports said at least some of them were the gunman’s fellow students.
The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs said one of the injured was a Dutch national.
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