Multiple people were killed and others injured Thursday night after a mass shooting at a church in the northern German city of Hamburg, according to local police.
The number of dead and injured was not immediately clear.
The German news agency DPA indicated that there are "several" fatalities, without specifying figures.
US media have said that
at least six people were killed
and another seven were injured.
"For now we only know that several people died here, others were injured and taken to hospitals," said Holger Vehren, a spokesman for the Hamburg police, and did not know how serious the condition of the survivors was.
"So far there is no reliable information about the motive for the crime
," police said on Twitter.
"We ask that you not spread baseless conjectures or rumours."
Authorities secure the area around a church where a mass shooting occurred in Hamburg, Germany.FABIAN BIMMER / REUTERS
Authorities said the person or persons responsible may be inside the church, and they were likely among those killed.
The shooting took place around 9:00 pm (local time) in a church on Deelböge street, frequented by
Jehovah's Witnesses.
"My deepest condolences to the families of the victims," Peter Tschentscher, mayor of the city of Hamburg, wrote in a tweet.
The official described the events as "shocking" and said the attack is under investigation.
Police initially reported after the shooting that they were conducting an extensive operation "with a large contingent of officers" in the Alsterdorf district of
Hamburg, Germany's second-largest city.