Serbia woke up on Thursday to feelings of anger and sadness after an unprecedented school shooting in Belgrade saw a 13-year-old student killing eight classmates and a security guard.
Classes at all schools in the Balkan country began with a minute’s silence to honour the victims of the shooting.
Following the scene of the shooting, the Vladislav Ribnikar school in the Vracar district of central Belgrade was closed on Thursday morning. Police officers were still present at the school’s entrance, an AFP reporter noted.
On Wednesday morning, a 13-year-old student armed with a 9mm pistol opened fire in his school, killing a total of seven girls and one boy, all aged 12 or 13, as well as the security guard. Six children and their history teacher were injured and are currently recovering in hospital.
Two students, a boy and a girl, who were seriously injured, are still in “critical condition”, officials at two Belgrade hospitals stated on Thursday morning.
After a rally of thousands of people on Wednesday, people continued to pay their respects to the victims outside the school on Thursday, where they laid flowers, toys, messages and lit candles.
Three days of national mourning have been declared by the government starting Friday. Celebrations and events planned in this country of less than 7 million people will be largely cancelled or reduced to a minimum.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, addressing the nation on Wednesday evening, lamented “one of the most difficult days in the contemporary history” of Serbia.
