Several killed in shooting in Germany church in Hamburg

Several people are reported to have been killed in a shooting in Hamburg, Germany.

Police said in a tweet that a large-scale operation was under way in the city's northern Alsterdorf area.

Ambulances are at the scene and German police are searching for the attackers, local media report.

According to Hamburg police, the shooting took place at a church on Deelböge street in the Gros Borstel district.

Local media identified the location as a Jehovah's Witness centre.

In a statement on Twitter police said "there is no reliable information on the motive for the crime" and they appealed to the public not to share assumptions or to spread rumours.

An alert was sent on the federal warning app, NINAwarn, that around 21:00 (20:00 GMT) telling locals that "one or more unknown perpetrators shot at people in a church".

Residents nearby were told not to leave their homes amid the ongoing operation.