President: Slovak Woman among Victims of Deadly Attack in Sydney

Bratislava, 15 December (TASR) - The grief flowing from the deadly attack on Bondi Beach in Australia has reached Slovakia as well, President Peter Pellegrini has posted on a social network in connection with the announcement that a Slovak woman was among the victims. "One of the victims of the shooters' mad rage was a Slovak called Marika. "I'm thereby expressing my sincere condolences to her family," wrote the president. He expressed his horror at "what sick and anonymous hatred towards unknown people can lead to just because they have a different faith, skin colour, origin or orientation". In connection with the tragedy in Australia, he called for a halt to the spread of hatred. "It will eventually stop at nothing, and the result is the ruined lives of innocent people," stressed the president. Pellegrini's predecessor, Zuzana Caputova has also announced the death of the Slovak woman on social media. The ex-president confirmed that the deceased was a close friend of her family. At least 16 people were killed in a shooting that took place on Bondi Beach in Sydney on Sunday (14 December) during celebrations of the Jewish Hanukkah holiday, with 15 of them being victims and the 16th one of the shooters. The fatalities identified so far include a ten-year-old girl, a former police officer, a rabbi and a Holocaust survivor. At least 38 people have been admitted into hospital in Sydney. ko/df