Teenager's axe rampage wounds several in Switzerland

A teenager armed with an axe injured several people in a rampage in Switzerland before being shot and arrested, police said, describing the incident as unrelated to terrorism.

Police cars stand near the crime scene where several people where seriously injured by a 17-years-old Latvian with an axe in Flums, Switzerland. Source: AAP

Police in the canton of St. Gallen said the 17-year-old Latvian national carried out the attack at the post office in the northeast town of Flums on Sunday. 

Several people were wounded in the initial attack before the assailant "escaped with a stolen car", police spokesman Krusi Hanspeter said in a statement.

The attacker later injured another person at a gas station where he was shot by police and apprehended, Hanspeter said.

"At this stage, there is no evidence of a link to terrorism", he added, noting that police were continuing to gather information about the assailant.

Police said the severity of the injuries suffered by the victims was not immediately clear.

According to the Blick news site, police later raided a house in the area as part of the investigation.