Several people reported dead in shooting in Hamburg

Several people were reported dead with others injured after a shooting in the northern German city of Hamburg, officials said on Thursday evening.

According to several media reports, the shooting took place at a Jehova's Witness center in Deelböge street, which is in the Gross Borstel district next to Alsterdorf.

"The dead all have gunshot wounds," a police spokesman said.

Hamburg police said in a tweet that a large-scale operation was under way in the Alsterdorf area.

Residents living nearby were warned to leave their homes amid the ongoing operation.

Police said the background to the shooting during a Jehovah's Witnesses event were as yet unclear.

"So far, there is no reliable information information about the motive for the crime," police tweeted.