Hot: Bloody shooting at two mosques in New Zealand

"There is a serious situation going on in the Hagley Park district of Christchurch with a shooter," police Commissioner Mike Bush said today, according toReuters"Police are responding with every possible effort to control the situation, but the risk environment remains very high."

A witness told media that a man wearing military-style camouflage and carrying an automatic rifle opened fire indiscriminately on people inside the mosque. Police advised people in the city center to stay indoors for their safety, while schools and government buildings were closed.

"There were more than 200 people in the mosque at that time. The gunman appeared from behind, followed by a long burst of gunfire. We had to jump over the wall to escape," witness Mohan Ibn Ibrahim told CNN.

Bush said in a Facebook video that there had been "multiple fatalities at two locations." The second shooting occurred atmosque in the suburb of Linwood.

A witness told One News television that he saw three people lying on the ground and bleeding outside the church. Radio New Zealand quoted another witness inside the church as saying he heard gunshots and at least four people were lying on the ground, with blood everywhere.

All schools and a hospital in central Christchurch have been ordered to close. Police have asked people to stay indoors and away from the area.

Authorities warned of an extremely dangerous situation as police continued to respond to shootings in several other locations across the city.

Police confirmed that a bomb had been found in a car on Strickland Road. The area was immediately cordoned off.