Six dead, two injured after gun rampage in Czech hospital

Six people have been killed in a shooting at a hospital in Czech city of Ostrava, police say.

Armed police officers move near the crime scene in front of a hospital in Ostrava, Czech Republic. Source: EPA

A gunman has opened fire in a hospital in the eastern Czech city of Ostrava, killing six people and seriously injuring others.

The shooting took place at the University Hospital in Ostrava soon after 7am (5pm AEDT), Interior Minister Jan Hamacek told Reuters.

"I can confirm a shooting at the Ostrava Faculty Hospital after 7am today," he tweeted.

Police outside the Ostrava Teaching Hospital after the shooting. Source: CTK

Prime Minister Andrej Babis told Czech Television the shootings occurred at close range in the waiting room, while Health Minister Adam Vojtech said six people had died.

Initially authorities said only four people had died.

Police said they were still searching for the assailant and posted a picture of a suspect to Twitter without giving a name. There was no word on possible motivation for the attack.

Czech TV reported that he was about 180 centimetres tall.

Police say four people were killed during the rampage. Source: EPA

The DNES daily reported on its website that the shooting had occurred at the trauma ward of the hospital in Ostrava, a steel hub located around 300 kilometres east of Prague.

More to come