Seven people, including five children, have been stabbed in a knife attack in a school in Zagreb, Croatia. At least one child has died.
Broadcaster Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT) is reporting that the attacker is a 19-year-old man who “reportedly entered the school with a knife and entered the first class he came across”.
The broadcaster added that it is not yet clear whether all the victims come from the first class.
An HRT reporter told of the “horrific scenes witnessed by children” as they described the “massacre” in the Trešnjevka district of the city.
They added: “After six ambulance teams, a helicopter unit arrived to take away the victims of this massacre. The scenes witnessed by the children are horrific. There are no words to describe what happened here”.
Students and staff were said to be left “in shock” according Dnevnik.hr. Some of the children were left “in tears” as they waited for their parents to take them home.
While information about the attack remains limited, the outlet reported a large emergency presence on the scene, including “at least six ambulances”.
Police said in a statement: “Today, December 20, at around 9.50am, a young man injured a teacher and several students with a sharp object in an educational institution in the Prečko area. The attacker is under police surveillance, and the injured are receiving medical attention.”
Prime Minister of Croatia Andrej Plenković commented on the incident too. He said the government was “appalled” and that ministers are at the scene.
He said: “We are appalled, Ministers Božinović and Fuchs are at the scene. Several students have been treated in hospitals. We express our regret and sympathy to the families of the injured children.”
The school said: “We cannot be well, we are not well. We are not making any statement, please be understanding at this moment.”