Two people have been killed and six others injured in a knife attack in the Finnish city of Turku.

A man suspected of being the attacker was shot in the leg and arrested, police said. He is being treated in hospital.

Finnish broadcaster YLE said several people were seen lying on the ground in the a central part of the city.

Police said on Twitter that officers were looking for more potential suspects involved in the attack, which took place in the early afternoon in the south-western coastal city.

A hospital spokesperson told local media that eight people were hospitalised because of the attack. Some victims are in a critical condition.


Image: Emergency services attended the scene

A local tabloid, Ilta-Sanomat, reported that one man and five women were injured.

It claimed that a woman with a pushchair had been attacked by a man with a large knife.

Multiple ambulances, fire engines, and police cars are attending the centre of the city, which is 90 miles west of Helsinki.

Finnish police recommend people avoid the area.

Paula Risikko, Finland's interior minister, said security was being stepped up across the country following the attack.

Image: Two people have died and others are in a critical condition

Finnish prime minister Juha Sipila said the government is closely monitoring the police operation.

He said the government will be holding an emergency meeting later in the day.

The country's top police officer, Seppo Kolehmainen, said "nothing is known about the motives... or what precisely has happened in Turku".