At least six dead in shooting at Croatian nursing home

At least six people were killed when a gunman opened fire in a nursing home in Croatia, sparking calls for stricter gun controls in the Balkan state.

Five people, including an employee, were killed in the house in the eastern Zimbabwean town of Daruvar. Another person later died in hospital.

According to police, several people were injured, four of them were still in critical condition.

The suspect fled the scene after the attack and was later arrested in a cafe, where he was found with unregistered firearms, according to Croatian media.

Croatian President Zoran Milanovic expressed shock at the “brutal, unprecedented” mass murder and called for “even stricter” regulations on gun ownership.

“It is a frightening warning and a final call to all relevant institutions to do more to prevent violence in society,” President Milanovic wrote in a social media post.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic spoke of a “monstrous attack” and expressed his condolences to those affected.

Croatian authorities have not given a motive for the massacre.

Marin Piletic, Croatia’s minister for labour, pensions, families and social policy, said the suspect’s mother had been a resident of the nursing home for 10 years.

According to unconfirmed reports from local media, the man was a war veteran.

According to Croatian police chief Nikola Milina, he also had previous convictions for disturbing public order and domestic violence.

The murders have shocked the 7,000 residents of the quiet spa town of Daruvar.

“It is difficult for me to understand that something like this can happen in our city and our country,” Mayor Damir Lnenicek told Croatian broadcaster N1.

According to Mr. Lnenicek, about 20 people lived in the nursing home at the time of the shooting.

Mass shootings are rare in Croatia.

Monday’s massacre was one of the worst in the country’s history since the declaration of independence in 1991.

According to the 2017 Small Arms Survey, Croatia has 13.2 firearms per 100 inhabitants, ranking the country 25th in Europe in terms of gun ownership.