A fatal attack at a primary school in Staškov, northern Slovakia, has left a 61-year-old woman dead and two people injured. Police say an eighth-grade pupil attacked classmates and teachers with a sharp object on Tuesday morning. Police and emergency services, including two ambulances and two rescue helicopters, responded to the scene.
Emergency medical service spokesperson Petra Klimešová said a child was transported to hospital in Martin in critical condition, while a 44-year-old woman with a stab wound to the chest was flown to hospital in Žilina. She confirmed that the 61-year-old woman had suffered fatal injuries.
President Peter Pellegrini expressed his condolences and said he was deeply shaken by the attack. He warned that growing aggression and intolerance in society, spread mainly through social media and, unfortunately, also by some politicians, can affect children. He called on people to help calm the atmosphere rather than further radicalise it, and wished all those injured a speedy recovery.
Prime Minister Robert Fico (SMER-SD) said the government is ready to provide all necessary assistance. Opposition leader Michal Šimečka (PS) also condemned the attack and expressed hope that everyone who was injured would pull through. He said that, considering this is not the first such incident at a Slovak school, the country clearly faces a serious problem with violence that needs to be addressed.
Prosecutor General Maroš Žilinka also called the incident an urgent reminder that society must confront violence, hatred and growing aggression.
Source: TASR, noviny.sk
