Several dead, dozens injured in Prague University shooting: Terrified crowds flee across bridge at tourist hotspot
Several people have been killed and dozens injured in a horrific shooting at a university in Prague.
Police in the Czech Republic’s capital urged residents to take shelter indoors and avoid the area due to the shooting near Charles University in the city center.
“Based on initial information, we can confirm that there are deaths and injuries at the location,” police said on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
Dramatic video shows terrified crowds of tourists and locals sprinting across the famous Charles Bridge – one of Europe’s top tourist attractions – after hearing the sickening sound of gunfire in the city.
Separate footage showed people running with their hands in the air from the university’s Faculty of Arts building in the capital as armed police stood by.
Images circulating in Czech media suggest the gunman standing on top of the university building before he was killed by police.
A faculty member at the university, Zora Hesova, said people were still locked in classrooms in the building as armed police officers arrived on the scene.
Dramatic video shows terrified crowds of tourists and locals sprinting across the famous Charles Bridge – one of Europe’s top tourist attractions – after hearing the sickening sound of gunfire in the city
People are seen running from a building in Prague
Images circulating online and in Czech media claim to show the gunman on the roof of the university building
Armed police were seen on the balcony of the university in central Prague on Thursday
Armed police were seen on the balcony of the university in central Prague on Thursday
Police in the Czech capital urged residents to take shelter and avoid the area ‘due to an ongoing shooting incident’ near Charles University in the city center
‘Following the shooting, we sent several rescue teams to the scene. This is a higher number of injured,” said Prague rescue service spokeswoman Jana Poštová.
‘The exact number is not yet known. However, it was necessary to announce a trauma plan.” Police later said there were dead and injured people at the scene.
The British Embassy in Prague has urged people in the city, a hotspot for tourists, to avoid the area around Charles University and the Faculty of Arts.
This is a groundbreaking story, more to come…