A shooter on Friday killed at least 11 people including two children in a mass shooting in Montenegro’s central city of Cetinje, officials said, in one of the deadliest violent incidents to rock the Adriatic nation.
“Eleven people were killed in Cetinje today,” Andrijana Nastic, a government prosecutor helping oversee the investigation into the incident, told reporters, saying the shooter was among the dead.
“Two children are among the victims,” she added.
Photo: Reuters
A police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also confirmed the figure. The incident took place in Cetinje, about 36km west of the capital Podgorica, after the shooter was involved in a family dispute, Radio and Television of Montenegro (RTCG) said.
The shooter was believed to have been killed by a local resident, said Nastic, dispelling earlier reports that said he had been shot by police.
Six people were also wounded in the attack, with three in a critical condition, Ljiljana Radulovic, the director of the central hospital in Podgorica, told reporters.
Photo: Reuters
In the shooting’s wake, Montenegrin Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic called on the country to offer support to the families of the victims, saying the incident was unprecedented in the country’s recent history.
“I invite all the citizens of Montenegro to be with the families of the innocent victims,” the prime minister wrote in a post on Telegram.
Hours after the attack, Abazovic declared three days of mourning in the country.
Montenegro is famed for its picturesque beaches, framed by nearby mountains that have long been a draw for tourists.
Cetinje is the site of the country’s former royal capital and lies in a mountainous valley that has largely stagnated economically in the past few decades. Residents were left in shock in the shooting’s wake.
“I can’t believe that this happened in Cetinje and Montenegro. I do not know what to say, I am speechless. I do not know where this can lead us,” Cetinje resident Milorad Mitrovic told public broadcaster RTCG.
The incident came as the country is in the full throes of its highly anticipated tourism high season following two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With an unemployment rate of 18 percent and an average monthly salary of less than 520 euros (US$533.65), Montenegro counts on tourism and the appeal of about 300km of azure coastline to boost its revenues.
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