'Several killed' as car plows into crowd in Germany

Several people are dead after a car drove into a crowd in the Germany city of Munster, German news agency DPA have reported.

Police have confirmed there have been deaths in the incident which took place in a historic area of the western German city.

"There are deaths and injured. Please avoid the area, we are on scene," the regional police service said on Twitter.

Police have warned against speculation about the incident.

A police spokeswoman in the western city told AFP that the driver of the vehicle "shot himself" after driving into a crowd.

Around 30 bystanders with injured in the incident. 

"There are deaths and injured. Please avoid the area, we are on scene," the regional police service said on Twitter.

Police also urged people to refrain from spreading "speculation" about the incident. 

According to the online edition of the Spiegel magazine, German authorities were "assuming" the incident was an attack, though there was no immediate official confirmation of a motive. 

Armed police were deployed to the area while investigator worked at the scene. 

Germany has experienced a number of terror attacks in recent years, which has included the use of vehicles as weapons.

In December 2016, a Tunisian man drove a truck into a crowd of people at a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring 48.

The Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for that attack.

IS also claimed several similar attacks in Europe. One rampage in central Barcelona last August killed 14 and left more than 100 injured.

The deadliest such incident in recent years was in the French resort city of Nice in 2016, where a man rammed a truck into a crowd on France's national holiday, killing 86 people.