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A man has been seriously injured in an explosion outside a metro station in Stockholm, Sweden.

The 60-year-old man was hurt when he reportedly picked up a hand grenade off the floor and it blew up.

The man was rushed to hospital, where he was being treated for serious injuries.

His partner, a 45-year-old woman, was also taken to hospital with injuries to her face and lower body.

The blast happened outside the Varby Gard metro station in a southern district in the capital.

(Image: REX/Shutterstock) (Image: REX/Shutterstock)

The object that the man picked up was a hand grenade, the Aftonbladet newspaper reported, although police have not confirmed what it was.

Witness Charlotte Bergstrom, who lives nearby, said her flat shook when the explosion occurred.

She told the Expressen newspaper: "It was the loudest bang."

A station security guard called Sannait thought the explosion was fireworks.

(Image: REX/Shutterstock) (Image: REX/Shutterstock)

She said: "I noticed people pointing to the square and I realised it must be serious. Then there came an ambulance and police who said we had to empty the ticket hall."

Abdullah Ozmen, who owns a shop nearby, said he heard the blast and then saw the injured pair on the floor.

He told the TT news agency: "We heard the explosion. When we went out we saw people lying on the ground."

(Image: REX/Shutterstock)

Stockholm police spokesman Sven-Erik Olsson said: "There was something on the ground that the man picked up and then it exploded."

In a statement, police said they were alerted to an explosion outside the station just after 11am on Sunday.

A bomb squad was called to the scene to analyse evidence and look for additional explosives. A police dog took part in the search.

(Image: REX/Shutterstock)

Officers were reviewing CCTV footage from the area.

Lars-Ake Stevelind, a spokesman for the fire department, told Sveriges Radio: "Someone has used some kind of explosives. We do not know more than that."

Officers cordoned off the metro station and a nearby square, and launched a search of the area. A section of the metro line was shut.

(Image: REX/Shutterstock)

Police said there is nothing to suggest the incident was terrorism-related and it doesn't appear the victims were targeted.

Varby Gard station is on the Stockholm metro's T13 (red) line, which links several southern and northern suburbs to the city centre.

Sweden has seen a rise in hand grenade attacks or incidents in recent years.

There have been so many incidents that the government is planning an amnesty for grenades and explosives later this year.