Two suspects are on the run after an axe and gun attack in the German city of Cologne left one person injured, reports say.

Witnesses told police a group of up to four men had an argument with another man before fighting with axes, according to the country's media.

A man who suffered a stab wound in the thigh tried to flee in his car but other men shot at him and hit the vehicle, said the German newspaper Express.

The windows had been shot out, it added.

The attack happened in the early hours of Monday in the city centre. Police said there was no indication it was terror-related.

They confirmed there had been a scuffle involving several people and one man has been admitted to hospital with serious injuries.

The nature of his injuries has not been revealed.

Officers at the scene found shattered glass and what looked like blood.

Two possible perpetrators were later stopped by police, but two suspects are believed to be on the loose.

It is not yet known exactly what the motive for the attack was.

There has been a spate of indiscriminate attacks against civilians in Germany in recent weeks.

They include a knife and axe assault on a train near Wurzburg, and a bomb blast outside a bar in Ansbach - both which were claimed by the Islamic State group.

There was also a mass shooting in Munich carried out by teenager David Ali Sonboly.

Police described Sonboly as a deranged Iranian-German who was fixated with mass killings but not inspired by Islamist militancy.