Man dies in shooting at Hungary's Pecs university

Thursday, 26 November 2009
A man died in a shooting inside a building of Pecs University in the south of Hungary on Thursday, spokesman for the university Zoltan Gyorffy told the press on Thursday.

Police have arrested the attacker, a 23 year-old man, who entered the building of the university's biophysics research institute and opened fire with an as yet unspecified weapon.

Earlier two people were reported to be in a critical condition, a third in a serious condition and a fourth was lightly hurt in the shooting.

The shooting broke out in a class of Hungarian pharmaceuticals students. The students reported that they became aware of one of their classmate's unusual behaviour. The man who died in the shooting was one of the pharmaceuticals students. The injured include students and a cleaner, Gyorffy said.

Ildiko Konrad, who works at the research institute, told MTI that she heard several shots. Later, a student emerged from the building, shouting that one of her fellow classmates was shooting inside the building.

Police have sealed off the area.

Classmates of the victim are in emotional shock and are comforting each other in front of the building, Gyorffy said.

Education Minister Istvan Hiller is on his way to the scene of the shooting.


PM expresses condolences

Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai expressed his grievances over the death of a student in a campus shooting at Pecs university on Thursday morning.

Bajnai said the government would give all possible support to the victim's family and the three other people seriously injured in the shooting.

Bajnai said the assailant's motives were unknown, and no one could have been prepared for such an act, but all must be done to prevent such tragedies from happening in the future.


Parties send condolences to victim's family

The governing Socialist party's parliamentary group leader expressed condolences to the family of a student who was killed in a shooting inside a building of Pecs University in the south of Hungary on Thursday morning.

Attila Mesterhazy said he was shocked to hear about the events and wished quick recovery to the three other wounded in the shooting.

Main opposition Fidesz parliamentary leader Tibor Navracsics also sent his condolences to the family. Head of parliament's national security committee, Istvan Simicsko, of the opposition Christian Democrats said "brutal violence is spreading in the country, which must be stopped."