Dutch police said on Friday three people had been wounded in a stabbing on a shopping street in The Hague, and a manhunt was under way.

An area on a main shopping street near the town's historic center was cordoned off, and dozens of police and ambulances were on the scene.

In a statement, Hague police said they were seeking a man aged 45-50 and described him using a Dutch term often applied to people of North African descent.

Police said the man was wearing a shawl, a black jacket and wearing a grey tracksuit.