Crime - Several dead and injured after shots fired at Prague university
Several people have been killed and dozens injured in a shooting at a university in the center of Prague. The shooter has been neutralized, the Czech police announced according to the CTK agency. Exact figures are not yet available.
According to initial information, the incident is said to have occurred at the Faculty of Philosophy of Charles University on Jan Palach Square. Humanities are taught there.
The police were on site with a large contingent, including special forces. Jan Palach Square is located just a few hundred meters from the famous Charles Bridge, the symbol of the city on the Vltava River.
Area cordoned off over a wide area
The police called on people to avoid the area. Residents should not leave their homes. Photos showed students leaving the university building with their arms raised. According to a report by the Nova television station, the shooter was last seen on the roof of the faculty building. An explosion was also reportedly heard.
Further information on the suspected shooter and a possible motive is not yet available. Students and staff at the university announced on social media that they had barricaded themselves in lecture halls and offices. The people were now to be taken out of the building one by one. The emergency services sent several ambulances, emergency doctors and a large ambulance to the scene.
Charles University was founded in 1348, making it one of the oldest universities in Europe. It has a total of around 49,500 students. Around 8,000 of these study at the Faculty of Philosophy, which offers subjects such as German, Slavic studies and history.
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Source: www.stern.de
