At least ten people were killed, 24 others injured in a school shooting in the Austrian city of Graz.

According to Austrian police, the incident took place at Dreierschützengasse secondary school in the north-west of the city.

The gunman was among the dead and Austria's APA news agency has reported that seven of those killed were pupils, said police.

The injured 28 people are being treated in hospital, according media reports.

Following the heinous incident, the government of Austria has declared three days of mourning.

Police said they began an operation at 10:00 local time (09:00 BST) after gunshots were heard from inside the school.

A specialist Cobra tactical unit - which handles attacks and hostage situations - was deployed to the school, police said.

"Locally, we have seen people crying on the streets, talking to friends that have been at the school when the shooting happened, who have maybe lost a friend," said Fanny Gasser, a journalist for the Austrian daily newspaper Kronen Zeitung.

She told BBC News "everybody knows somebody" at the school because Graz - despite being the second-largest city in Austria - is "not that big".

She said the school was likely unprepared for the possibility of an attack. "We are not living in America, we are living in Austria, which seems like a very safe space."

Local mayor Elke Kahr called the incident a "terrible tragedy".

European Commission Vice-President Kaja Kallas said she was "deeply shocked" by the news. "Every child should feel safe at school and be able to learn free from fear and violence," she posted on X.

MSK/