Two girls have been seriously injured and a 16-year-old suspect arrested after an incident at a school in Upper Bavaria, Germany.

Police said a major operation was under way in the area of Welfen-Gymnasium secondary school in the small town of Schongau.

Neither of the girls are in life-threatening condition, police added, and they believe the suspect acted alone.

The number of other people involved and the severity of their injuries are currently being clarified, they added. The ages of the girls are unknown, as is the identity of the 16-year-old suspect.

A police spokeswoman told AFP news agency it was unclear what weapon had been used, and declined to confirm reports of a knife attack. It is not clear if the teenage suspect has links to the school.

The police spokeswoman added the force believe it to be a "rampage".

A contact point for relatives and parents of students has been set up at a fire station in the town.

According to its website, the school was founded in 1887 and had initially been almost exclusively a girls' school. It has been mixed gender for the last 40 years.