One local report said the safety catch was unlocked and the gun discharged.

One bullet passed through the thigh of the head waiter of a local hotel and ended up in the calf of an employee of a railway maintenance company, according to Pierre N'Gahane, state prefect of the Charente region.

Unconfirmed local media reports said that the sniper shot himself in the foot and could be seen jumping up and down.

After finishing his speech to inaugurate a new train line linking Paris to Bordeaux in two hours - to be opened on July 2 - Mr Hollande went to see the injured parties. They were then taken to the nearby hospital of Girac. Their injuries are not life threatening.