A gunman has killed 14 people and wounded 25 after opening fire at a Prague university, in what authorities say is the deadliest attack in modern Czech history.charles university prague shooting
Police say the 24-year-old gunman was also "eliminated" after the shooting at Charles University in the capital's historic centre.
During the attack, university staff were asked to barricade the rooms.
Prime Minister Peter Fiala said he had canceled the upcoming engagements in light of the "tragic events" on Thursday.
The shooting began at around 15:00 local time (14:00 GMT) at the university's Faculty of Arts building on Janpalach Square.
Dramatic footage later surfaced on social media showing some people jumping to safety from one side of the building to several floors, and gunshots could also be heard.
In a separate video, terrified crowds are seen fleeing the area popular with tourists.
In a briefing Thursday evening, the country's police chief and interior minister said the gunman was a student at the faculty.
He said he was from a village 21 kilometers (13 mi) outside Prague. The accused's father was found dead earlier on Thursday. The gunman's motive was not immediately known.
Officials said initial information indicated that no police personnel were injured in the attack.
Police said they are also working on the theory that a gunman may be responsible for killing two people in a forest near Prague last week.
University professor Sergei Medvedev told the BBC he was in a university auditorium when the shooting started.
"I was giving a lectur at the time and at first I didn't quite realize what had happened because there were some sounds. The students heard it better because I was very focused on my talk, on my lecture. was," he said. .
"Then ... we understood that something big was happening. There was nothing online yet, nothing in the Czech press and [news] networks. Then at some point, special operations groups broke in, they searched the rooms. Did a brief search and then went out... They asked us to stay inside.
"An hour later, another police force entered and then put us on the floor, searched us briefly and then escorted us out of the building."
American tourist Hannah Millicott told the BBC that she and her family were in Janpalach Square at the time of the attack.
"There was a crowd of people crossing the road when the first shot rang out. I thought it was like a firecracker or a car backfire until I heard the second shot and people started running," he said.
"I saw one bullet hit the ground 30 feet (9m) away before entering a store on the other side of the square. The entire area was cordoned off and dozens of police cars and ambulances were on their way to the university."
Joe Hyland, 18, from Britain, told the BBC he heard four gunshots.
"Everyone was running and running for cover. I have a bad knee, on crutches. So I stopped as soon as possible," added Mr Hyland, who was on his first holiday with friends. "We got on the metro and got off because we thought it would be the safest."
Charles University students said they locked themselves in classrooms.
"Currently stuck inside my classroom in Prague," Charles University student Jacob Weisman wrote on X (formerly Twitter) as it unfolded.
"The shooter locked the door before he could try to open it."
In an email to faculty of arts staff seen by Reuters, staff were warned of the firing.
It read: "Stand still, don't go anywhere, if you are in offices, lock them and put furniture in front of the door, turn off the lights."
European Commission President Ursula van der Leyen said she was "shocked by the senseless violence".
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