Two dead, several injured after shooting in Paris

A gunman has opened fire in central Paris, killing two people and wounding several others, BBC News reports.

The shooting took place close to a Kurdish cultural centre not far from the Gare de l'Est station.

A suspect aged 69 was quickly detained by police in connection with the attack.

Authorities appealed for people to avoid the area in Rue d'Enghien, in the 10th district in Strasbourg-Saint Denis.

"It's total panic, we've locked ourselves in," one shopkeeper told AFP news agency.

The witness said she had heard seven or eight bursts of gunfire.