Girl, seven, dead and six wounded in knife attack at Croatian school, say police

Police secure access to the elementary school where a seven-year-old girl died and a teacher and five other students were wounded in a knife attack in Zagreb, Croatia (Ronald Gorsic/AP)

A seven-year-old girl has died and a teacher and five other students were wounded in a knife attack at a school in Croatia’s capital, police said.

They said the attack happened at 9.50am at the Precko Elementary School in the neighbourhood of the same name in Zagreb on Friday.

They described the attacker as a “young male” and said he had been detained.

Police secure access to the school where a seven-year-old girl died and a teacher and five other students were wounded in a knife attack in Zagreb (Damir Krajac/AP)

Health minister Irena Hristic said the attacker was over 18, while media reported that he was 19.

Video footage published by Croatian media showed children running away from the school building and a medical helicopter landing in the schoolyard.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said at the start of the government session that he is “appalled” by the attack and that authorities are still working to determine exactly what happened.

An ambulance helicopter takes off from the elementary school following the knife attack (Damir Krajac/AP)

Mr Plenkovic said several children have been taken to various hospitals in Zagreb.

State HRT television said the attacker entered the school and went straight into the first classroom he found and attacked the children.

School attacks are rare in Croatia.

Last May, a teenager in neighbouring Serbia opened fire at a school in the capital Belgrade, killing nine fellow students and a school guard.