A shooting inside a restaurant in Sweden's second largest city has left two people dead and injured up to 15 more.

Police - who said they thought the incident could be gang-related - added that three or four people had been left seriously injured.

Spokesman Bjor Blixter said the eatery in Goteborg was full when men with automatic weapons opened fire late yesterday, and some of those wounded may have been ordinary guests.

"Innocent people have been hit," Mr Blixter said. He said none of the wounded was in a life-threatening condition.

The victims were two men in their 20s. Mr Blixter said there were known gang members inside the restaurant in the suburb of Biskopsgarden, adding the shooting spree was likely related to gang feuds. The neighbourhood is known for a history of gang violence.

One witness told Swedish broadcaster SVT that two men entered the restaurant and started shooting with automatic weapons.

No arrests have been made but several people have been brought in for questioning. Police were still searching for a possible getaway car.

The shooting happened inside a restaurant called Var Krog och Bar, which means "our tavern and bar" in Swedish.

According to its website, the restaurant opened in 1995 and also has a sports bar and a night club that is open on Fridays and Saturdays.

On January 30 a man was wounded in a shooting on the square outside the restaurant. It was not immediately clear whether the shootings were linked.

Gun violence is not uncommon in Sweden's major cities, though shootings in public places with multiple victims are rare.