Six dead in Czech hospital shooting

Six people were killed in a shooting at the University Hospital in Ostrava in the north-east of the Czech Republic on Tuesday morning.

The attack occurred happened around 7 a.m. (0600 GMT). A special police task force was at the scene and a helicopter was deployed.

Police published a photo they initially identified as the alleged shooter, but later clarified was a witness, saying they were also searching for another person.

Police said a man had shot himself in the head in a car they had been looking for as part of a manhunt for the assailant.

"Police found the car, there was shooting heard from the site. We are establishing the identity of the man who shot himself in the head before the police action," the police said.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis told Czech public television the shooting took place in a waiting room. He said he was traveling to the hospital in Ostrava.

President Milos Zeman expressed his deepest condolences to the survivors. He also thanked the law enforcement officers, the doctors, and everyone who was helping.

Security across the Czech Republic has been boosted following the shooting.

Employees of the hospital were advised not to leave their departments. "We are all nervous," one female medic told the Czech News Agency (CTK).

Czech Television reported police led a man out of the hospital in handcuffs but did not confirm if he was a suspect.

Ostrava is the third largest city in the Czech Republic, located around 300 kilometres (190 miles) east of Prague near the borders of Poland and Slovakia.

Tuesday's incident was the worst shooting in the Czech Republic since a man shot eight people dead at a restaurant in Uhersky Brod in 2015.