Girl, 14, among three killed in twin Rotterdam shootings

Credit: AP

Three people, including a 14-year-old girl, were killed in a shooting in Rotterdam after a lone gunman opened fire in an apartment and a hospital.

The attacks took place at the Erasmus Medical Centre - a university hospital - and a nearby residential property in the port city on Thursday.

The gunman was wearing a bulletproof vest, according to Dutch police, and the shooting sent patients and medics fleeing the medical center in downtown Rotterdam, including some who were wheeled out of the building in beds.

Others barricaded themselves into rooms and stuck hand-written signs to windows to show their location.

Footage shared on social media shows a fire burning at the Erasmus Medical Centre (Credit: X / @ADinmohamed)

Police say the shooter was a 32-year-old student who was arrested at the hospital while carrying the firearm. The motive is still under investigation.

According to officers, the gunman shot and killed a 39-year-old woman and seriously injured her 14-year-old daughter at an apartment.

The girl was rushed to hospital where she died from her injuries.

The shooter then moved onto the hospital where, according to police, he walked into a classroom and shot a 43-year-old teacher. The man died from his injuries.

A fire was then started in another part of the medical centre, police say.

Emergency services attend to the scene at Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam. Credit: AP

Police said the suspect was cooperating with police and officers believe he was involved in both shootings. "It was a black day," said Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb. Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima expressed their sympathy on social media.

"Our hearts go out to the family and friends of the victims of the violence this afternoon in Rotterdam," the royal pair wrote.

"We also think of everybody who lived in fear during these terrible actions," they added. The Erasmus Medical Centre appealed on social media for people not to go to the hospital, but later said it was reopening. It added that all appointments scheduled for Friday would go ahead as planned.

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