AROUND TEN PEOPLE have died after a shooting at an adult education centre in Sweden, authorities say.

The incident happened in Örebro, about 200km west of Stockholm, where police say the suspect is among the dead.

Sweden’s prime minister has said it is the “worst mass shooting” in the country’s history.

“This is the worst mass shooting in Swedish history,” Ulf Kristersson told a press conference, saying a lot of “questions were still unanswered” as he urged people not to “speculate” about the motive.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin issued a statement to express his “deep shock and sadness” over the news.

“My thoughts are with the victims and their families and friends at this unimaginably difficult time. I think also of the first responders and the police who intervened to save lives and to assist the injured at the scene of this atrocity.

“As close friends and fellow Europeans, our hearts go out to the people of Sweden today at this time of profound sadness.”

According to several Swedish media, witnesses reported hearing what they believed to be automatic gunfire.

Police had initially said that four people had been shot at the Risbergska Adult Education, but updated the tally minutes later to five.

“We are continuing to search the school and are focusing on security work – which we have done during the day as well,” they said earlier.

“We housed students and staff at several schools because we did not really know the perpetrator or the perpetrators’ next steps and whether there were more attacks in the works.”

They said, however, that they “no longer believe that” and that they’ve begun letting people leave. They still ask the public to stay away from the scene. 

No officers had been wounded during the operation.

The crime was being investigated as “attempted murder, arson and an aggravated weapons offence”.

A teacher at the school said he was in the school when he heard gunfire.

“I heard shots fired, so I’ve barricaded myself and am waiting for news. We have an alarm on our security app and I’m communicating with my colleagues,” Petter Kraftling told the online union newspaper Vi Larare.

- With reporting by PA and AFP