VIENNA, June 10 — Several people died today after a suspected shooter opened fire in a southeastern Austria school, including the suspected attacker, Austrian broadcaster ORF quoted the interior ministry as saying.

"Currently, a police operation is underway... The reason for the deployment was that gunshots were heard in the building,” the police said on X, confirming the attack in Graz.

According to Austrian public broadcaster ORF, citing police, a student was behind the shooting, which led to the school’s evacuation.

Several serious injuries included students and teachers, according to police spokesman Fritz Grundnig quoted by the media.

Police and interior ministry officials could not immediately be reached by AFP.

Attacks in public are rare in the Alpine nation of almost 9.2 million people.

In February, a stabbing left a teenager dead and five other people injured in southern Austria, with a 23-year-old Syrian asylum seeker held. — AFP