Six people have been killed after a shooting in a hospital in the Czech Republic.
Another two people have been injured, according to latest police information.
Police are searching for the suspect after the attack.
However, after releasing an image of a man in a red jacket, suggesting he was the suspect, they later said he is an “important witness” and not the person they are looking for.
Image: Police outside the hospital in Ostrava
Officers believe the man is driving a “silver-gray vehicle Renault Laguna” with the plate number 9T57401 and warned he should not be approached.
Video footage from the scene showed police making an arrest but there is no confirmation on who that is.
The shooting happened at about 7am local time (6am GMT) according to Jan Hamacek, a government minister.
On Twitter, Czech Police said: “We are currently strengthening the supervision of selected soft targets across the Czech Republic.”
The clinic has been evacuated.
Image: Police said this man is a key witness
Police said they got the first call at 7.19am local time, and the first patrols arrived at 7.24am.
According to local reports, the shooting took place in the hospital’s trauma unit. The nearby university is said to have been closed for the day, with lectures cancelled.
The hospital is in Ostrava, in the eastern Czech Republic.
Image: Police officers outside the evacuated hospital
Adam Vojtech, the country’s health minister, told newspaper Lidovky it was a “huge tragedy”.
He is cutting short a trip abroad to return to the Czech Republic.
Andrej Babis, the prime minister has also cancelled his day’s programme to go to the hospital.
There is not yet an indication of a motive for the attack.
More follows…
reply
retweet
favourite
