Gunman shoots dead six in Czech hospital then kills himself

A gunman has killed six people in a hospital waiting room in the eastern Czech city of Ostrava before fleeing and fatally shooting himself.

It was the worst shooting in the Czech Republic, where gun crime is relatively rare, since a man shot eight people dead and then killed himself at a restaurant in Uherský Brod in 2015.

It was unclear what motivated the shooting, which happened in the early morning at the outpatient clinic of the University hospital in the city, which is near the Polish border.

The prime minister, Andrej Babiš, said it was an “individual act”.

The 42-year-old gunman fled the hospital after the attack, prompting a search involving hundreds of officers. He later shot himself in the head in his car as a police helicopter flew overhead.

He died about half an hour later after police were unable to resuscitate him, said the interior minister, Jan Hamáček.

Czech Radio, citing the director of the firm where he worked, identified the suspect as a local construction technician and said he had been on medical leave. Reuters could not immediately confirm that.

Police said they received calls at 7.19am (0619 GMT) and officers arrived at the scene five minutes later.

The hospital director, Jiří Havrlant, said five people died in the attack and one died in surgery. Another two were seriously injured and no medics were hurt, he said.

The victims, four men and two women, had been shot at close range, he said.

The head of the regional police department, Tomáš Kužel, said the attacker was silent as he carried out the shooting and there was no indication of accomplices.