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'Several dead and wounded' after Munich shopping centre shooting

 Witnesses told police there were three gunmen, who are now on the run.
 Witnesses told police there were three gunmen, who are now on the run.  Witnesses told police there were three gunmen, who are now on the run.

THERE are "several dead and wounded" following an attack at a shopping centre in Munich and gunmen are on the run, police said.

Multiple shots were fired on Hanauer Street before the attack moved to the Olympia Einkaufszentrum shopping centre in the south German city at around 6pm on Friday.

Witnesses told police there were three gunmen, who are now on the run.

The force tweeted that the situation is "confusing" and warned people to avoid public spaces in the city.

The number of casualties or any fatalities have not yet been confirmed by authorities.

British nationals in Germany are being advised to comply with instructions from local authorities.

"Avoid this location and follow the advice of local authorities," a Foreign Office spokesman said.

People were seen fleeing from the building in videos posted on social media.

In one picture a person can be seen lying on the ground covered in blood outside the centre.

Police have responded to the attack in large numbers. Dozens of vehicles can be seen lining the street outside the shopping centre, a number of armed officers and a helicopter are at the scene. A cordon appears to be in place and the area has been evacuated.

The shopping centre in the northern part of Munich is not far from the city's Olympic Stadium in the Moosach district of the Bavarian capital.

It is the second attack in Germany in less than a week.

On Monday, a 17-year-old Afghan wounded four people in an axe and knife attack on a regional train near the Bavarian city of Wurzburg, and another woman outside as he fled.

All survived, although one man from the train remains in a life-threatening condition. The attacker was shot and killed by police.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the train attack, but authorities have said the teenager probably acted alone.