At least eight people have been killed and 13 injured in a drive-by style shooting in Serbia as police hunt for the suspect, state TV reported.

The attacker used an automatic weapon to shoot randomly at people near the town of Mladenovac, some 50km south of the capital Belgrade on Thursday night, the Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) said.

Police were looking for the 21-year-old suspect who fled after the attack, it added.

It is the second mass killing in Serbia in two days.

Serbian Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic called the shooting “a terrorist act”, the report said. Special police and helicopter units have been sent to the region as well as ambulances, it added.

No other details were immediately available, and police had not issued any statements.

On Wednesday, a 13-year-old boy opened fire at Vladislav Ribnikar primary school in Belgrade killing eight children and a security guard.

Police said the boy had used two handguns he had taken from his father, had planned the attack for a month and had drew sketches of classrooms and made lists of the children he planned to kill.

The shooting also left seven people hospitalised – six children and a teacher. One girl who was shot in the head remains in a life-threatening condition, and a boy is in serious condition with spinal injuries, doctors said on Thursday morning.

Authorities said the 13-year-old is too young to be charged and tried and has been placed in a psychiatric institution. The boy’s father and mother have also been arrested.

The country’s first mass school shooting prompted the government to announce tougher rules on gun ownership.

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Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic announced a moratorium on new gun licences except those for hunting, and a review of existing permits, with more surveillance of shooting ranges and of how people store their weapons.

Police urged citizens to lock up their guns and keep them safe, away from children.

On Thursday, thousands of people gathered in central Belgrade to lay flowers and light candles to commemorate those killed in the shooting on Wednesday morning.

A three-day mourning period will begin on Friday morning.

Gun culture is widespread in Serbia and elsewhere in the Balkans: The region is among the top in Europe in the number of guns per capita.