A 61-year-old teacher has died after a 13-year-old pupil allegedly attacked educators and fellow students with a sharp weapon in a classroom in Staškov, north-west Slovakia.
The incident unfolded on Tuesday morning (September 29) at a school in the town. The woman was declared dead at the scene, while two other victims – a teenage student and another educator – sustained wounds inflicted by a "sharp object", according to Slovak broadcaster TV JOJ.
Two victims hospitalised
The teenager was rushed to hospital in the neighbouring town of Martin in a critical state, while a 44-year-old woman was airlifted to a medical facility in Žilina following a "stab wound to the chest", confirmed Petra Klimešová, a spokesperson for the Emergency Medical Service Operations Centre.
"We can confirm that we have sent two ground ambulances and two rescue helicopters to the scene. The intervention is ongoing," she added.
Police probe violent crime
Officers confirmed they were investigating a "violent crime" and stated that the situation was now under control. Authorities revealed the suspected attacker was a teenage student in the eighth grade, equivalent to Year 9 in the UK.
Police declined to confirm whether the suspect had been detained. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said he was "deeply saddened" by the "tragic" incident and was monitoring developments "with great concern".
Political reaction
"Schools must be a safe place for our children, otherwise we will have no future," he said in a statement on social media. He expressed his condolences to the bereaved family and wished those wounded a swift recovery. He confirmed that the appropriate ministers were making their way to the location.
President Peter Pellegrini declared in a video statement that he was "shocked that this is yet another case in which a student attacked teachers and a classmate". He said: "Aggression and an atmosphere of intolerance, spread primarily by social media and, unfortunately, by some politicians as well, are literally poisoning the public sphere and influencing the behaviour of our children in schools."
In January last year, an 18-year-old killed a fellow pupil and a teacher in a knife attack and wounded another pupil at a secondary school in Spišská Stará Ves, a town in north-east Slovakia.
