Austria: Double shooting sparks nationwide manhunt

A man fatally attacked one woman with an ax and shot another in the Alpine region of Carinthia, Austrian police said on Saturday.

The first victim is believed to be the 62-year-old ex-wife of the assailant, according to a report published in the tabloid Kronen Zeitung.

The attack apparently took place early in the morning in the small town of Wernberg, after which the attacker apparently drove to the nearby Drobollach and fatally shot his 56-year-old girlfriend in public.

According to the police, the shooting happened outside a restaurant and was witnessed by the woman’s child — who was unharmed.

Read more: Five murdered in Austrian Alpine ski resort of Kitzbühel: police

The man fled the scene in a large white car, triggering a large-scale manhunt.

The police sealed off the area and started border checks for the suspect, with a police helicopter also deployed to aid with the search.

According to Austria’s APA news agency, however, the suspect has managed to evade the authorities in the border region and reach Italy, where he apparently killed himself.

The police have yet to confirm this version of events.

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