Six killed in Munich mall shooting rampage

Berlin, July 23 (IANS) At least six people have been killed and several injured in a shooting rampage at a mall in the German city of Munich.

The shooting took place at the Olympia-Einkaufszentrum shopping mall in the Moosach district of Munich.

The shooting also took place inside McDonald's restaurant across from the Olympia shopping mall, CNN quoted police spokeswoman Claudia Küntzel as saying.

All motorists have been asked to avoid motorways leading to Munich, in order to allow emergency services vehicles free passage to the city.

A video is circulating on social media which shows a man walk in front of a McDonalds and pull out a gun before firing at pedestrians.

Police have declared a terror alarm for south Germany, reports said.

Police have confirmed at least six deaths.

Police have said that there were three gunmen. One gunman has committed suicide, according to German newspaper Bilde.

At least one shooter is still on the loose.

There are also reports of shooting at a third location. Germany TV channel ARD reports that the city's main train station has been evacuated. All subways, buses, and trams in the city have been shut down for the time being.

Earlier, the German Interior Ministry said three people are dead.

Reports have come of shooting at the Marienplatz station in Munich.

Reports revealed a gunman opened fire in Stachus Square, Munich's main square just three miles away from the Munich Olympia centre.

Munich Police believe there are several perpetrators on the loose in Munich and none of have been caught yet.

A tweet from the police said: "Currently we do not know where the perpetrators are. Please be careful and avoid public place."

A big operation is underway in Munich.

Terrified shoppers were seen running for their lives from the Munich Olympia Shopping Centre after hearing gunshots.

A video purporting to show the shooter, dressed in black, firing 20 shots has been posted on Twitter. The footage shows him outside a McDonald's directly outside the shopping centre, according to dailymail.co.uk.

The area around the Munich Olympia Shopping Centre in the district of Moosach has been sealed off as emergency services try to control the situation.

The Guardian reported that police in Munich are saying that they have received reports from witnesses of three gunmen in the area surrounding the Olympia shopping centre.

A German spokeswoman said: "We believe we are dealing with a shooting rampage.

"We believe there was more than one perpetrator. The first reports came at 6 pm, the shooting apparently began at a McDonald's in the shopping centre. There are still people in the shopping centre. We are trying to get the people out and take care of them," The Guardian reported.

Police have told people to stay at home and avoid the streets.

The security forces have been on alert after an Afghan teen attacked and severely injured five people with an axe on a train in Bavaria on Monday.

The authorities had warned of the danger of further attacks.