Six people have been killed while several others sustained injuries in a stabbing and shooting spree inside a popular shopping mall in Sydney on Saturday afternoon, reported the local media. Following reports of stabbing and gunshots, hundreds were evacuated from Westfield Bondi Junction near Bondi Beach.
Earlier, The Sydney Morning Herald reported that four people died in a stabbing. The local newspaper further added that several others were critically injured while one of them was shot at. It was unclear whether the shot was fatal or not.
According to a New South Wales ambulance spokesperson, one of two alleged offenders had been shot by police and they were searching for the other. The spokesperson said people were still inside the shopping center.
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An eyewitness account
According to an eyewitness Roi Huberman, an ABC TV sound engineer, he sheltered in a store during the incident.
“And suddenly we heard a shot or maybe two shots and we didn't know what to do,” he said.
“Then the very capable person in the store took us to the back where it can be locked. She then locked the store and then she then let us through the back and now we are out."
The area has been evacuated and there are pictures of ambulances and police vehicles at the scene on social media.
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Video showed many ambulances and police cars around the shopping center, and people streaming out. ABC reported that armed police were searching a rooftop parking lot.
Paramedics were treating patients at the scene.
