Five people were killed and around a dozen wounded in a shooting in Poland's second biggest city of Krakow on Saturday, police said. 

"As a result of the incident, five people were killed and around a dozen others were wounded," a Krakow police spokesman said.

"The perpetrator was shot by police officers and is currently being transported to a hospital," police wrote on X.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed the "tragic shooting" in a post on X. 

"I am being kept informed by the Minister of the Interior about the situation in Krakow following the tragic shooting," he wrote, adding that "the police are investigating the background and all the circumstances of the attack."

In a statement on social media, the official account for the city of Krakow writes:

"Shots were fired in the Main Market Square. Emergency services are already on the scene. Police are also conducting an operation on Dietla Street. 

"We are awaiting official confirmation of the scale of the incident, including information on the number of people injured."

The city is asking that residents avoid the area while police investigate.

A police spokesperson told reporters that they began to receive reports at around 3 p.m. (1400 GMT) that a car from which shots were being fired at random people had entered the square.

This is a developing story, we will update as more information comes in.