Pupil Kills Teacher in Slovak School Stabbing; Two Injured

A pupil fatally stabbed a teacher at an elementary school in northwestern Slovakia on Tuesday, leaving two other people injured, according to authorities.

The teacher who died was a 61-year-old woman. The injured included a pupil who was in critical condition and a 41-year-old female teacher who was hospitalized with serious injuries, the Slovak rescue service said.

Authorities have not disclosed a possible motive, and it was not immediately clear whether the perpetrator was in police custody. Police said they had the situation under control and that there was no further threat to the public.

President Peter Pellegrini said he was "deeply saddened by the tragic incident" and offered condolences to the relatives, along with Prime Minister Robert Fico.

"Such events serve as a serious warning to our entire society," Pellegrini said. "It is all the more important that we pay close attention to the atmosphere we create in society. We need more calm, respect, and mutual regard."

Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok, Education Minister Tomáš Drucker and Health Minister Kamil Šaško traveled to the town.

The attack echoes previous school stabbings in Slovakia. Last year, an 18-year-old student fatally stabbed a 51-year-old deputy principal and an 18-year-old student at a high school in the north of the country. In 2020, a 22-year-old former student attacked a high school in the town of Vrutky, killing the deputy principal and wounding five people, including two students. In 2022, a high school student attacked and injured a female pupil at a high school in Novaky.