Teacher Dies After Knife Attack at Slovak School, Child Critical

An eighth-grade student attacked a teacher and classmates with a knife at a primary school in Staškov, in the Čadca district of northern Slovakia, on Tuesday morning. Police confirmed they were investigating a violent crime and said the situation was under control. A 61-year-old teacher, who was resuscitated at the scene, later died of her injuries, according to Hospodárske noviny, Topky.sk/TASR and Noviny.sk/TV JOJ.³⁴⁷¹⁰

Police confirmed a violent crime occurred at the school and that they were investigating, according to Hospodárske noviny, ta3 and Startitup.sk. STVR reported, citing a single source, that the student allegedly attacked two female teachers and one child with a knife, causing serious injuries. Topky.sk/TASR, ta3, SITA and Startitup.sk all reported that a knife-wielding eighth-grader assaulted several people.⁴⁵⁸³

Accounts of how many people were hurt still differ. Pravda, Hospodárske noviny, Topky.sk/TASR and Žilinak.sk reported that two people were injured besides the teacher who died, a figure disputed by SITA. One female student sustained a shoulder injury, according to Topky.sk/TASR and ta3, while Hospodárske noviny, Prešovské novinky, Rádio Žilina and Noviny.sk/TV JOJ reported that a child was left in critical condition and a 44-year-old woman suffered a chest stab wound.¹⁴⁷⁹

Emergency response

Topky.sk/TASR, ta3, Startitup.sk, Prešovské novinky and Noviny.sk/TV JOJ reported that two ground ambulances and two rescue helicopters were dispatched to the scene, a detail disputed by TASR and Aktuality.sk. Petra Klimešová, spokesperson for the Emergency Medical Services Operations Center, said the agency could confirm it had dispatched two ground ambulances and two rescue helicopters to the location.⁴⁷⁵⁸

A teacher, later identified as 61 years old, was initially reported in critical condition and required resuscitation at the scene before being transported by helicopter to hospital, according to ta3, SITA, Startitup.sk and Hospodárske noviny.⁵¹⁴⁸⁴

The teacher's death was subsequently confirmed by Hospodárske noviny, Topky.sk/TASR and Noviny.sk/TV JOJ. Petra Klimešová of the Emergency Medical Services Operations Center said the 61-year-old woman "utrpela zranenia nezlúčiteľné so životom" (suffered injuries incompatible with life). Earlier reports from Postoj and other outlets had described the teacher only as critically injured before the fatality was confirmed.⁴⁷¹⁰

A child was left in critical condition and airlifted to University Hospital in Martin, according to Hospodárske noviny, Prešovské novinky, Rádio Žilina and Noviny.sk/TV JOJ. A 44-year-old woman suffered a stab wound to the chest and was transported by helicopter to a hospital in Žilina after initial treatment, the same outlets reported.^4121310

Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok and Education Minister Tomáš Drucker travelled to Staškov, according to several outlets, and ta3 reported that Health Minister Kamil Šaško was also heading to the scene. Drucker said: "Myslím na zranených, ich blízkych, deti a zamestnancov školy." He added that reports from Staškov had "hlboko zasiahli" him, and asked the public not to spread unverified information and to respect the privacy of the children and their families.⁴⁵⁷⁶

Police and ministry statements

Police said the situation was under control. A police statement said: "Situácia je pod kontrolou a v tejto chvíli nikomu nehrozí bezprostredné nebezpečenstvo." Daniela Kocková of the police said: "Preverujeme spáchanie násilného trestného činu." Police also said intervention was continuing at the school, and that they had secured the premises.³⁶⁷²

The education ministry said it was providing help and professional support to the school, according to Hospodárske noviny and Startitup.sk. The ministry said its priority was the safety of children and staff, and that it was prepared to offer crisis intervention without delay, according to ta3.⁴⁷⁵

Reported circumstances

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Political reaction

Prime Minister Robert Fico said he was following the situation "s veľkým znepokojením" (with great concern) and stressed that "školy musia byť bezpečným miestom pre deti, inak nebudeme mať budúcnosť" (schools must be a safe place for children, or we will have no future), according to TASR and Žilinak.sk.²⁹

President Peter Pellegrini expressed sympathy for the family of the teacher who died, opposition leader Michal Šimečka said society has a serious recurring problem with such violence, former foreign minister Ivan Korčok called for schools to be safe for children and teachers, and General Prosecutor Maroš Žilinka described the attack as an urgent call for society not to remain indifferent to violence, according to Žilinak.sk and Rádio Žilina.⁹¹³