The Czech government has declared a national day of mourning following a mass shooting in which at least 14 people were killed and dozens more injured. Police said the gunman was a 24-year-old student. The shooting took place in the heart of Prague as the gunman opened fire at Charles University's Faculty of Arts in the city's Old Town, which is a major tourist attraction. Authorities, evacuated staff and students who were told to stay put and lock themselves inside classrooms. Some climbed onto rooftops and window ledges to escape the gunfire. The shooting is the deadliest in the Czech Republic's history, in a country where gun crime is relatively rare. Sarah Rainsford reports from Prague.

The center of Prague was suddenly transformed into a major crime scene. Armed police rushed towards a university building as a gunman stalked the corridors there. At this point, he was still on the loose.. And these were the scenes at Charles University. Desperate students clinging for their lives to allege their fear of falling, overtaken by the fear of the gunmen meters away on the roof. As the shooting began, students had to barricade themselves into classrooms, told to hide with the lights off. Down below, crowds scattered in fear, ordered to clear the area and take cover. Although many had no idea what danger they were running from. Prague is full of tourists this time of year. Some described hearing shots fired and panic. Multiple ambulances were sent to the scene. Some of those injured are in a very serious condition.

So the gunshots, gunshots weren't obvious at first. I remember the first one I looked at Joe and I said, Is that almost questioning myself? And then you saw people running and heard a few screams and you thought, Can't be. You tell yourself almost. You see it on the news and you always think, I don't believe it. No, you always think you're not going to be in it, in that situation. And then you hear another one and another one. And we're like, and then we hear the police sirens, and then it becomes clear that we need to get out of here.

The attacker has been named now by local media as David Kozak. They say he made disturbing posts leading up to this shooting on a social media account.

I have no understanding of the motive yet. I'm talking about a high-performing student who got inspired by another heinous act elsewhere in the world.

The Czech government announced that the man behind the attack had been eliminated, as they put it. His father had been found dead at his home earlier in the day. The motive isn't clear yet, but the government says there is no link to international terrorism. It is the worst shooting in this country in decades and a huge shock.