SYDNEY — A man has been shot and multiple people, including a nine-month-old baby, have reportedly been stabbed in an incident that sparked panic at a Sydney mall.

Crowds could be seen fleeing Westfield shopping center at Bondi junction where local media say four people are dead.

Police declared a critical incident following the shooting of a man just before 16:00 local time (07:00BST; 08:00GMT) after reports of stabbings.

The incident is ongoing and people are urged to avoid the area.

Video footage showed dozens of police and ambulance vehicles at the scene, and images on social media appear to show multiple casualties, as well as a man carrying a large knife.

New South Wales Ambulance told news agency AFP one man, believed to be an attacker, was shot dead by police.

One eyewitness told Reuters news agency they saw someone lying down injured and were looking to see what was going on.

"Then we saw all these people running towards us and then we heard a shot and my husband dragged us into the Adairs shop and then we got the lady there trying to lock the doors and then she couldn't lock the front door so we went in the office which was all locked and then we were in there until the police came to get us."

Another said they saw a woman lying on the floor, adding: "But it's just, it was insane it was insanity, I wasn't expecting it." — BBC