Up to 11 wounded in fight in Vienna temple
By Associated Press
May 24, 2009 8:52 AM CDT
Austrian policemen stand in front of a house in Vienna's Rudolfsheim district, housing an Indian temple, in which a shooting took place in Vienna, Austria, on Sunday, May 24, 2009. Police in Austria say up to 30 people have been wounded, nine severely, in a shooting at the Indian temple. Police spokesman...   (Associated Press)

Groups of rival worshippers at a Sikh temple in the Austrian capital pulled knives and at least one handgun in a mass fight Sunday, police and ambulance staff said. At least 11 people were wounded.

Witnesses said the fight erupted after a dispute over the sermon, given by a man identified by the Austria Press Agency as Shri Guru Ravidas Sabha. Police said at least six men, one wielding a gun and the others knives, attacked the preacher. Others rushed to his aid, resulting in the melee.

Police spokesman Michael Takacs told APA that one of the attackers is in critical condition, while the wounds of the others were less serious. More people may have been slightly hurt and have run outside the temple before police arrived, he said.

Four ambulances and three medical helicopters transported the victims to the hospital.

The temple is situated in Vienna-Rudolfsheim, the capital's 15th district. Police cordoned off the area.

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