Vietnamese police have arrested 16 suspects in a police station shooting in which several police officers and civilians were killed or injured, police said on Sunday.

A group of people shot at Ea Tieu and Ea Ktur police stations in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak early on Sunday, the Ministry of Public Security said in a statement, without giving the exact number of casualties.

The people killed include four police officers aged between 30 and 35, the ministry said in a statement, adding that other casualties included local government officials and civilians.

Police have also rescued two hostages in the case, according to the statement, adding that another hostage managed to escape.

The ministry didn't provide details about the suspects and said the police are searching for other alleged attackers.

The government in a statement on its website shared photos of some of the suspects in handcuffs as well as images of their rifles and knives.

State media reports earlier on Sunday said five of those arrested were from Dak Lak province and the other from the neighbouring province of Gia Lai, both in the Central Highlands, Vietnam's largest coffee-growing area.

It was not clear if the suspects belonged to any political group.

In 2020, a Vietnamese court sentenced 20 people to between two and 24 years in prison on terrorism charges, after finding them guilty of involvement in a police station bombing.

- Reuters