Czech president attends mass for Prague shooting victims as country holds national mourning

Czech Republic President Petr Pavel attended a mass on Saturday (Dec 23) to remember the victims of Prague shooting on Thursday (Dec 21) which shook the entire nation.

A day of national mourning is being observed by the entire country for those who lost their lives in the mass shooting that took place at a university in Prague. The bells tolled across the country and flags were flown at half-mast on the official buildings and a minute's silence was observed at midday.

Candles and flowers were brought by the mourners to makeshift memorials which were outside the Faculty of Arts as well as the headquarters of Charles University.

Thirteen people were killed at the Charles University's Faculty of Arts building in the capital by a student, who later took his life.

The police have been working to find the motive behind the attack. This is one of the deadliest assaults carried out by a lone gunman in Europe this century. Those who lost their lives in the attacks included the head of the Institute of Musicology at the university Lenka Hlavkova.

Other victims of the attack were translator and Finnish literature expert Jan Dlask and student Lucie Spindlerova.

The shooting took place at the Faculty of Arts building of Charles University around 15:00 local time (14:00 GMT) on Thursday (Dec 21). The university is near Jan Palach Square, which is located at the heart of the Czech capital.

After entering the building, the gunman started to open fire in classrooms and corridors, as the students and staff used furniture to barricade themselves into rooms.

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Witness recalls horror

Speaking to the BBC, US tourist Hannah Mallicoat said that she and her family were present on Jan Palach Square when the attack took place.

"A crowd of people were crossing the street when the first shot hit. I thought it was something like a firecracker or a car backfire until I heard the second shot and people started running," she said.

Watch:Prague Mass Shooting: At least 14 killed, 25 injured in Charles University

"I saw a bullet hit the ground on the other side of the square about 30ft [9m] away before ducking into a store. The whole area was blocked off and dozens of police cars and ambulances were going towards the university,” she added.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, in a statement, said that the country was shocked by this "horrendous act".

"It is hard to find the words to express condemnation on the one hand and, on the other, the pain and sorrow that our entire society is feeling in these days before Christmas,” he added.

(With inputs from agencies)