Shooting kills eight in eastern Czech town

A police vehicle is seen near the site of a shooting in the eastern Czech town of Uhersky Brod February 24, 2015.[Photo/Agencies]

PRAGUE - A 62-year-old local man shot eight people dead in the eastern Czech town of Uhersky Brod on Tuesday afternoon, said Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec.

The victims include seven men and one woman, the gunman shot dead himself after the attack in Druzba restaurant in the town.

The interior minister flied to the site of the attack along with Police President Tomas Tuhy board a helicopter.

Uhersky Brod Mayor Patrik Kuncar said the armed man broke into the pub and started shooting indiscriminately.

Kuncar said the gunman fired about 25 shots and he was apparently mentally unstable. The bullets were reportedly from a shotgun.

One injured woman was driven from the place. Uherske Hradiste hospital spokeswoman Dana Lipovska said that the woman was shot in her chest and the injury is serious.

The crossroads near the restaurant was closed and the area was sealed by the police. A special police team is now in the place.

Pavel Lebduska from the Czech commercial television station Prima said that the gunman called the crime line Krimi zpravy of the station before his act to complain about harassment the authorities failed to deal with.

He said the man announced that he was in Uhersky Brod and he was being harmed by lots of people, that he was being harassed, while the authorities ignore it.