Two people were killed and 11 wounded after a gunman fired shots into a small crowd at an open air concert before shooting himself dead, police in Austria said.

Witnesses on Sunday said panic broke out as the first shots were heard, with many in the crowd running into nearby woods or on to a road close to the venue in Vorarlberg province, said Florian Kasseroler, mayor of Nenzing.

He said one witness estimated that up to 40 shots were fired.

Police said the overnight shooting was preceded by a loud argument between the 27-year-old gunman and a woman in a nearby car park.

"This argument must have escalated," said police spokeswoman Susanne Dilp. "The man then grabbed a gun from his car, went to the concert venue and started shooting around wildly."

Police said the weapon was a rifle or similar gun and that the man killed himself after returning to the car park.

The concert had been organised in a field by "The Lords" motorcycle club and was attended by about 150 people.

The woman, described as the gunman's partner, was not wounded in the shooting near Nenzing, about 24 miles east of Austria's border with Liechtenstein.

Police said one of the victims was in a critical condition, while eight others remained in hospital, more than 10 hours after the shooting.

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