Two suspected shooters opened fire at Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach on Sunday, killing 11 people and wounding multiple others in an attack that spread panic, with bodies reported lying on the ground.
At least 29 people were confirmed wounded, including two police officers, said Mal Lanyon, the police commissioner for New South Wales state, where Sydney is located.
One of the alleged shooters was killed, and the second was in a critical condition, they said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the incident "shocking and distressing," adding that "emergency responders are on the ground and working to save lives."
"I saw at least 10 people on the ground and blood everywhere," 30-year-old local Harry Wilson, who witnessed the shooting, told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"We heard the shots. It was shocking, it felt like 10 minutes of just bang, bang, bang. It seemed like a powerful weapon," Camilo Diaz, a 25-year-old student from Chile, told AFP at the scene.
Crowds fled in fear from the beach in eastern Sydney, which draws huge numbers of surfers, swimmers and tourists, especially at weekends.
Emergency services first responded to reports of shots being fired at 6:45pm (0745 GMT), New South Wales police said.
"A number of suspicious items located in the vicinity are being examined by specialist officers and an exclusion zone is in place," police said in a statement.
A major Australian Muslim organisation condemned a "horrific" shooting that killed ten people on Bondi Beach.
"Our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and all those who witnessed or were affected by this deeply traumatic attack," the Australian National Imams Council said in a statement.
"This is a moment for all Australians, including the Australian Muslim community, to stand together in unity, compassion, and solidarity," they added.
An annual "Chanukah by the Sea" gathering marking the Jewish festival of Hanukkah was planned at the beach on Sunday afternoon, but officials have not commented on a possible antisemitic link.
One witness who declined to be named said he personally witnessed six dead or injured bodies lying on the beach.
The grassy hill overlooking Bondi Beach was strewn with discarded items from people fleeing too fast to pack up, including an abandoned children's stroller, an AFP journalist at the scene said.
Paramedics tended to multiple people lying on the grass by the beach, images broadcast by public broadcaster ABC showed.
A weapon that appeared to be a pump action shot-gun was lying by a tree by the beach.
A British tourist told AFP he saw "two shooters in black" after the gunfire broke out.
"There was a shooting, two shooters in black with semi-automatic rifles," Timothy Brant-Coles told AFP, saying he saw multiple people who had been shot and wounded.
Another witness, 30-year-old local resident Harry Wilson, told the Sydney Morning Herald he saw "at least 10 people on the ground and blood everywhere."
Videos circulating on X appeared to show people on the beach and nearby park scattering as multiple gunshots and police sirens could be heard.
One video showed a man dressed in a black shirt firing a large weapon before being tackled by a man in a white T-shirt who wrestled his weapon off him.
A different man was seen firing a weapon from a pedestrian bridge. Another video showed two men pressed onto the ground by uniformed police on a small pedestrian bridge. Officers could be seen trying to resuscitate one of the men.
Reuters could not immediately verify the footage.
The attack came almost exactly 11 years after a lone gunman took 18 people hostage at the Lindt Cafe in Sydney.
Two hostages and the gunman were killed after a 16-hour standoff.
Sussan Ley, the leader of Australia's opposition Liberal party, said the loss of life in the incident was "significant." "Australians are in deep mourning tonight, with hateful violence striking at the heart of an iconic Australian community, a place we all know so well and love, Bondi," she said.
Agencies