An armed woman who entered a German hospital and shot dead at least one person was killed Sunday by police, who said they found two more bodies in a nearby building, dpa reported.
It was not clear if the woman was connected to an explosion and the two deaths outside the hospital.
A big force cordoned off the area in the town in Germany's south- west.
The violence began just after 6 pm (1800 GMT) at the St Elisabeth Hospital in the centre of Loerrach, a town close to the Swiss city of Basle. The woman entered the hospital and began shooting at people with an automatic weapon, probably a sub-machine-gun.
One person, whose identity has not been disclosed, was fatally wounded. A policeman who happened to be at the scene for private reasons, suffered a gunshot through his knee. The woman also opened fire at police who rushed to the scene.
Police said she was shot after police assessed that they were facing a rampage. The woman's identity and motive were unclear.
A police spokesman said police reached the scene within 10 minutes of an emergency call logged at about 6:15 pm.
"With shooting sprees, it's all very unclear immediately," said a police spokesman.
Aid tents were set up and police called in all available personnel.
The Catholic hospital includes centres for pediatric medicine, gynaecology and pediatric psychiatry, as well as a maternity ward.