One dead as man drives into Helsinki crowd

One man is dead after a driver, who appeared to be intoxicated, drove a car into a crowd in the Finnish capital Helsinki.

The scene in Helsinki where one man died after a car was driven into a crowd during rush hour. (AAP)

Finnish police say a car has ploughed into a crowd in central Helsinki, killing one person and injuring at least four others.

Helsinki police said on Twitter Friday that the Finnish man in his 50s who was driving the car was likely under the influence of alcohol or another substance, and was caught immediately afterward.

Police superintendent Patrik Karlsson told Finnish broadcaster YLE that there are no indications the incident was terrorism.

It happened on a busy street in downtown Helsinki during the early evening rush hour. Some of the people injured were on the footpath and others on a crossing.