Several dozen children were in the building at the time of the attack. [Source: BBC]

Five people have died after an 18-year-old man launched a machete attack at a nursery school in Brazil, police say.

The victims include three young children – who were all reported to be under two years old – and two staff members.

The attacker then turned the weapon on himself and is in critical condition in hospital, a police statement said.

It is not clear what was behind the attack in the small town of Saudades, in Santa Catarina state.

Several dozen children were in the building at the time of the incident and were forced to hide, officials said. A fourth child is said to have suffered minor injuries.

Military police said they received several calls at 10:35 local time (13:35 GMT) from neighbours who reported that a man armed with a machete had entered the nursery and was attacking staff and children.

Police said the man – who has not been named – first attacked a teacher who was at the entrance to the nursery. He reportedly followed her into one of the rooms, where he also turned on the children.

The nursery is located in the centre of Saudades, a town of about 9,000 people, and according to Globo news it cares for children under the age of 3.