Former pupil kills 10 in Austrian high school shooting

AUSTRIA observed a national day of mourning and a minute's silence yesterday after a former student shot dead 10 people at a high school in an unprecedented case of gun violence that stunned the Alpine country.

- 

The 21-year-old shooter acted alone and took his own life in the toilet at Dreierschuetzengasse high school in Graz, police said.

Investigators found a good-bye letter addressed to the suspect's parents during a search of his residence, but it included no clues about his motive.

After arriving in Graz, Chancellor Christian Stocker described the shooting as “a national tragedy”.

“This is a dark day,’ he told reporters Tuesday as he announced three days of national mourning. A minute's silence will be observed across the country at 10am yesterday.

Nine victims were immediately confirmed and a woman died later in hospital from her wounds, an official said. A 17-year-old French student was among the victims, his father said.

Twelve people suffered serious injuries and police said support was being provided to witnesses and those affected.