Prague varsity shooting claims several lives

PRAGUE, Dec 21 (BBC): Czech police say several people have been killed and "dozens" injured in a reported shooting near a university in central Prague. Police said the gunman had been "eliminated" and that the building was being evacuated.

Reports suggest the incident occurred at Charles University Faculty of Arts, located on Jan Palach Square. Authorities said the whole of the square and several streets around the university were closed.

"Suddenly I heard shooting," a witness who said she was at the scene told Czech news outlet Dnes. An email to staff at the philosophy faculty of Charles University, seen by Reuters, warned staff of the shooting.

It read: "Stay put, don't go anywhere, if you're in the offices, lock them and place furniture in front of the door, turn off the lights." Charles University is located in Prague's Old Town, about 500m from the historic Charles Bridge, a tourist magnet.