At least nine people have been killed in a “shooting rampage” in the German city of Munich.
The incident at the Olympia-Einkaufszentrum (OEZ) - Bavaria’s largest shopping centre - in the district of Moosach, happened at around 6pm local time on Friday.
The Associated Press reported that the latest person found dead could have been the attacker. Ten people were hospitalised, police said.
The shooting erupted in a fast-food restaurant inside the mall, police told Germany’s dpa news agency.
A police spokesman said: “There are people who have been traumatised by this, it’s in the double figures.”
Police said there was no indication it was related to Islamist terror. A state of emergency has been declared in the city and public transport has been suspended.
Immediately after the shooting, some people were trapped inside the shopping centre but police managed to evacuate the building.
Munich Police is currently mounting its biggest operation in 10 years to find the perpetrators.
In a post on its Facebook page, the Munich police force said witnesses reported seeing three different people with guns.
A police 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.”
But after a perpetrator was reportedly found dead, people speculated there might have been only one attacker after all.
Police in Munich are urging people not to upload videos or photos from the shooting attack on social media but instead to provide them to authorities for their investigation by uploading them at a special link.
”Many shots were fired, I can’t say how many but it’s been a lot,” an employee at the mall who asked not to be identified told Reuters.
“All the people from outside came streaming into the store and I only saw one person on the ground who was so severely injured that he definitely didn’t survive.”
An employee who was trapped inside the mall told Reuters by phone that “many shots were fired”.
A witness live-streaming from outside the mall said: “(The gunman) ran into the underground station. Police are looking for him. I don’t have a description of the shooter.”
People are being urged to stay away from the area.
Footage from the scene appeared to show people running for shelter - and there are local reports that helicopters are circling overhead.
One video appeared to show a man emerge from a McDonald’s restaurant and open fire with a pistol on pedestrians walking by.
Video obtained by German news agency NonstopNews shows two bodies with sheets draped over them not far from the McDonald’s.
Another video of a gunman showed him apparently shouting “I am German” and “I was born here”. He also shouted disparaging remarks about foreigners.
The security forces in Germany have been on alert after a migrant stabbed five people on a train in Bavaria on Monday.
The police have warned people to avoid public places while the situation is ongoing.
The Foreign Office updated its travel advice for Germany to say: “There are reports of an incident at the Munich Olympia Shopping Centre. You are advised to avoid this location and follow the advice of local authorities.”
US president Barack Obama said: “We don’t yet know exactly what’s happening there, but obviously our hearts go out to those who may have been injured. We are going to pledge all the support they may need.”
He called Germany a close ally and said the US would “pledge all the support that they may need” for the investigation.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said he was “appalled” at what had happened. “We stand ready to assist our friends in Germany,” he added.
A poll published earlier Friday showed that 77 percent of Germans feared a terror attack in the near future, up from 69 percent earlier this month.
