Several people are dead and more injured after a shooting at a church in the northern German city of Hamburg, local media has reported, citing the fire service.
The Bild newspaper reported that seven people were killed and at least eight more were hurt in the shooting which it said took place in a Jehovah’s Witness church.
The Hamburg city government said the shooting took place in the Gross Borstel district.
Police also said on Twitter that a large operation was underway in the next-door Alsterdorf district.
The area is a few miles north of the downtown area of Hamburg, which is Germany’s second-biggest city.
Police were alerted to the shooting about 9.15pm (10.15pm GMT) and were on the scene quickly. After officers arrived, they heard a shot from an upper floor.
The police statement said there was no immediate indication that a shooter was on the run and that it appeared likely that the perpetrator or perpetrators were either in the building or among the dead.
Police had no information on the event that was under way in the building when the shooting took place. They also had no immediate information on a possible motive.
“According to first indications, shots were fired in a church in Deelboege street in the Grossborstel district. Several people were seriously injured, some even fatally,” police said on Twitter.
They alerted people to an “extreme danger” in the area using a catastrophe warning app.
Residents must stay indoors and avoid the area, police said, adding that streets surrounding the church have been cordoned off.
This is a breaking news story. Follow for more updates.
