- Number of fatalities not known but pictures show at least TWO dead bodies
- At least eight people injured by falling glass
- Prime Minister was not in the city at the time of the blast - reports
At least two people have been killed in a massive explosion in Oslo which has shattered the windows of the Norwegian Prime Minister's offices and forced the evacuation of nearby buildings.
Police in Norway say the blast - which happened just after 3.30pm today - was caused by a bomb.
The tangled wreckage of a car was seen outside one building leading to suggestions it could be have been a car bomb - although this has not been confirmed.
Scene of the blast in Norway this afternoon showing wreckage and hundreds of windows smashed;
The Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg was not in the city at the time and is unharmed, it has been reported.
Norwegian broadcasters have confirmed one death just before 4pm however early pictures show at least two dead bodies.
The BBC is reporting at least eight people have been injured from flying glass.
Onlookers gather at a distance to watch in horror as the smoke fills the streets'
Fortunately, it is a public holiday in Norway and the offices are less busy than a normal weekday
Heavy debris littered the streets and a tall plume of brown smoke blew over the city centre. Witnesses also reported seeing a young man with a bleeding leg being helped away from the area.
All roads into the city centre have been closed, and security officials evacuated people from the area, fearing another blast, local journalists are reporting.
Fortunately, it was a public holiday and the offices were less busy than a normal weekday.
A man lies injured in the road amid wreckage from the blast as emergency service personnel rush to help him '
Smoke filled the street and witnesses reported seeing a young man with a bleeding leg being helped away from the area'
Smoke is seen pouring from a Government building and paramedics are seen rushing to help a casualty'
A Reuters correspondent counted at least eight injured people. Norwegian news agency NTB said that Stoltenberg was safe in the blast, which happened around 3:30pm.
'It exploded - it must have been a bomb. People ran in panic and ran. I counted at least 10 injured people,' said Kjersti Vedun, who was leaving the area.
An NRK journalist, Ingunn Andersen, said the headquarters of tabloid newspaper VG had also been damaged, according to AP.
'I see that some windows of the VG building and the government headquarters have been broken. Some people covered with blood are lying in the street,' she said.
'It's complete chaos here. The windows are blown out in all the buildings close by.'
Eyewitness Craig Barnes was behind the Government building that was struck.
He told Sky News: 'I'm still shocked, I can't believe it. I've got no words, I'm shaken up. Quite a few people are injured. It has shocked everyone and its a major holiday here. Everyone leaves here for two weeks from today.'
Passersby rush to help a a victim of the blast lying injured in the street
However, political violence is virtually unknown in the country.
David Lea, Western Europe analyst, at Control Risks said: 'It's very difficult to tell what has happened. There certainly aren't any domestic Norwegian terrorist groups although there have been some al Qaeda-linked arrests from time to time.
'They are in Afghanistan and were involved in Libya, but it's far too soon to draw any conclusions.'
Norway has about 400 troops currently serving in Afghanistan.
Shards of glass lay strewn on the pavement following the blast. It is not known how many people are injured'
Glass is strewn all over the inside of one building as workers rush to escape through to safety'
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