Austria has declared three days of national mourning for the victims of one of the worst outbreaks of violence in its modern history, a 21-year-old gunman shooting dead 10 people at his former high school before killing himself.

Students, parents and neighbours of the school struggled to make sense of the event on Wednesday (June 11).

According to the head of the Red Cross crisis team, Bettina Galli-Magerl, its workers were providing crisis intervention support those affected by the attack.

Mourners left flowers and lit candles outside the school. Dozens also queued to donate blood for the survivors.

Austrian authorities are searching for clues to the gunman's motives. Police said the man had acted alone, armed with a shotgun and a pistol. They are scouring his home and the internet to find out why he opened fire at the school in Austria's second city of Graz on Tuesday, before shooting himself in a bathroom.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

GRAZ, AUSTRIA (JUNE 11, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF TECHNICAL HEAD OF RED CROSS CRISIS TEAM (KIT) STYRIA, BETTINA GALLI-MAGERL TALKING TO STEFAN LOSERIES, SPOKESMAN FOR RED CROSS STYRIA

2. RED CROSS ON VEST

3. (SOUNDBITE) (German) TECHNICAL HEAD OF RED CROSS CRISIS TEAM (KIT) STYRIA, BETTINA GALLI-MAGERL, SAYING:

"We were on duty all day yesterday. There were over 230 Red Cross staff on duty, 40 from crisis intervention and yesterday the situation was such that we had two care rooms, one in the List Halle (local hall), the other in the ASKÖ-Halle. And today, one day later, we are right outside the school and are trying to support the relatives and pupils in their grief, in the farewell ritual."

4. VARIOUS OF GALLI-MAGERL ON PHONE, LOSERIES STANDING

5. (SOUNDBITE) (German) TECHNICAL HEAD OF RED CROSS CRISIS TEAM (KIT) STYRIA, BETTINA GALLI-MAGERL, SAYING:

"The worries that people come to us with are very different. First and foremost, it's about being ready in case someone in mourning, in this scenario, is now feeling bad. It's also a very personal place, a very intimate situation and we naturally try to protect and support people to a certain extent and simply be open to questions. Of course, it can also happen, depending on how badly affected people are--we try not to categorise this--that relatives or directly affected students really do need one-on-one support on site."

6. GALLI-MAGERL ON PHONE, LOSERIES STANDING

7. (SOUNDBITE) (German) TECHNICAL HEAD OF RED CROSS CRISIS TEAM (KIT) STYRIA, BETTINA GALLI-MAGERL, SAYING:

"Yes, we emergency services are now on standby. It's still an acute phase for us still. So it's a middle situation or intermediate situation between functioning and being ready for action. The answer to the question of how we manage, is that we simply take good care of ourselves after the assignment, that we also talk to our colleagues, sit down together with colleagues and really process what has happened, discuss the assignment afterwards and then make sure that we can go into the other assignments well together and also find our way back into our everyday lives."

8. VARIOUS OF GALLI-MAGERL ON PHONE, LOSERIES STANDING

9. (SOUNDBITE) (German) STEFAN LOSERIES, SPOKESMAN FOR RED CROSS STYRIA, SAYING:

"As you can see, we as the Red Cross are also here today. We have been in action since 10 a.m. yesterday. Initially we were of course involved in rescue efforts, caring for the victims and eyewitnesses. Our second priority yesterday was crisis intervention. So we looked after the pupils and teachers on the one hand and over 200 parents, relatives and concerned people on the other. Today, we are here primarily in the area of crisis intervention so that we can offer all those who come here today a moment of silence, a moment of remembrance, a moment of peace. We are here to support you."

10. BANNER AT SCHOOL READING (German): GRAZ STANDS TOGETHER

11. ROSES

12. VARIOUS OF CANDLES / MAN PLACING CANDLE

13. (SOUNDBITE) (German) MALEQZAE HASSIB, LIVES NEARBY, SAYING:

"Wow, it was so awful. I was at home and then I suddenly heard that this had happened. Terrible. I have two children myself and then I was really scared. Then I immediately ran to the kindergarten, but thank God, everything was sorted out there. I came here today so that I could share in the mourning and to offer my condolences to the parents and relatives and wish them lots of strength. I hope nothing more happens."

14. CANDLES

15. (SOUNDBITE) (German) MALEQZAE HASSIB, LIVES NEARBY, SAYING:

"I saw a lot of police. So I was at home, then I ran out, as soon as I heard, then I saw the COBRA, police, so many. I didn't know exactly what was happening, but I knew that something was bad, because it was a big operation. And then I walked back to the kindergarten, then I went home and then I heard on the radio that a child had done it (Editors note: the suspected gunman is 21 years old). And that was a really terrible situation. I can never forget that and I hope it never happens again."

16. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE LIGHTING CANDLES AT SCHOOL