Geneva, Aug 14 (IANS): A man attacked and injured at least six people on a train near the northern Swiss city of St Gallen on Saturday, local media and police source said.

The 27-year-old man was thought to have used a knife and set flammable liquid on fire, injuring at least one of the passengers severely, Xinhua quoted Swiss News Agency as saying.

The Swiss public radio SRF reported that at least six people were injured, including a 17-year-old and a 50-year-old man, three women aged 17, 34 and 43 and a six-year-old child. The attacker was apparently injured as well.

A local police statement said the attack took place at around 2:20 p.m. local time and dozens of people were on the train at the time of the attack.

The attacker is a Swiss citizen, according to the police statement.

A local police spokesperson also told the press that the injured passengers, with both stab and burn wounds, had been taken to hospital. The motivation for the attack is still unclear.