Austria observed a nationwide minute’s silence on Wednesday as the country mourned the victims of its deadliest-ever school shooting. Church bells rang out and public transport paused as citizens across the nation stopped to honour the 10 lives lost at a Graz secondary school the previous day.
Locals in Graz, Austria’s second-largest city, gathered in grief outside the Dreierschuetzengasse school, laying flowers and lighting candles. The victims included a teacher and nine teenagers aged 14 to 17, among them a Franco-Austrian and a Polish national.
The gunman, a 21-year-old former pupil of the school, used two legally owned weapons to carry out the attack before taking his own life. Police said a homemade bomb and a farewell letter were found at his home, though the motive remains unclear.
Nine of the 11 injured remain in intensive care. Chancellor Christian Stocker declared three days of national mourning, calling the attack “a national tragedy.”
Students and staff described scenes of terror, with one teacher saying he “thought this was a film” until he saw a student lying on the floor.
Pope Leo XIV and leaders across Europe sent their condolences. “It is truly shocking,” said one student at a candlelit vigil.
