Czechs pay tribute to victims of Prague University shootings
Flags were flown at half-staff on public buildings on Saturday, and masses were scheduled across the Czech Republic as a day of national mourning after the worst mass shooting in decades at Prague's Charles University. .
On Thursday, a 24-year-old student opened fire at the Faculty of Arts, killing 13 people and then himself. The other person later died at the hospital.
Gunshots rang out and frantic scenes unfolded as students ran away from the attack.
The government asked Czechs to observe a minute's silence at noon on Saturday (11pm Japan time), and church bells were to be rung in churches across the EU and NATO member states.
Prime Minister Petr Fiala said: “In these days leading up to Christmas, it is difficult to find words to express on the one hand the condemnation, and on the other hand the pain and sadness felt by the whole society.”
Weeping students lit thousands of candles at makeshift memorials at the nearby Faculty of Arts and University Headquarters.
Schools, families, and friends alike began releasing the names of victims, students, and teachers.
“This is very cruel news for all of us,” the Institute of Musicology said on Facebook after learning that its director Lenka Hravkova, a 49-year-old mother of two, was among the victims. Stated.
Other victims included Finnish literature expert Jan Drask and student Lucie Spindlelova.
The gunman also injured 25 people, including three who were hit by bullets on the street when he fired from a balcony.
The injured included one Dutch national and two United Arab Emirates nationals.
Interior Minister Vit Raksan said there was no link between the shooting and “international terrorism” and that the gunman had acted independently.
Source: guardian.ng