A man has died after walking into an aboriginal government office in Canada and attacking people with a hammer, injuring 10, police have said.

The suspect was restrained by the time officers arrived at the office in Lillooet, British Columbia, and died some time after Wednesday’s attack in British Columbia, police said.

Two patients are in critical condition, another two in serious condition and six others have non-life threatening injuries, said Michaela Swan of the Interior Health Authority.

Royal Canadian mounted police said they were called about a man with a weapon at the Bridge River Indian Band office. They said they found the suspect already restrained when they arrived, but he was unconscious and unresponsive.

They immediately started resuscitation efforts, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Lillooet is a small town that relies mostly on the forestry industry and is about 260km (163 miles) north-east of Vancouver.

Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report