On the scene, police had arrange a fringe a number of hundred metres away from the college, barring entry routes with police automobiles.
An area police spokesman mentioned the world had been secured, the college had been evacuated and kin of the victims and pupils had been being cared for.
In stories that Reuters couldn’t instantly confirm, the Kurier and Salzburger Nachrichten newspapers recognized the suspect as a 22-year-old former scholar.
Salzburger Nachrichten mentioned he was Austrian, believed to have had no legal document, and that he had lately bought one of many weapons.
It mentioned the gunman had been a sufferer of bullying. He carried a pistol and a shotgun and opened fireplace on pupils in two lecture rooms, one in all which had as soon as been his personal.
The Kronen Zeitung tabloid mentioned a suspect had been discovered lifeless in a toilet.
UNBEARABLE
Police had been referred to as to the scene at round 10am (8am GMT) after photographs had been heard on the college.
Julia Ebner, an extremism professional on the Institute for Strategic Dialogue think-tank, mentioned the incident seemed to be the worst college taking pictures in Austria’s post-war historical past, describing such shootings as uncommon in comparison with some international locations, together with america.
European Union international coverage chief Kaja Kallas mentioned on X: “Each baby ought to really feel secure in school and have the ability to study free from concern and violence. My ideas are with the victims, their households and the Austrian individuals on this darkish second.”
Austria has one of the closely armed civilian populations in Europe, with an estimated 30 firearms per 100 individuals, based on the Small Arms Survey, an unbiased analysis challenge.
Machine weapons and pump-action weapons are banned, whereas revolvers, pistols and semi-automatic weapons are allowed solely with official authorisation. Rifles and shotguns are permitted with a firearms licence or a legitimate looking licence, or for members of conventional taking pictures golf equipment.
