Shooter among five shot dead in town in northern Switzerland

Five people have been killed in a shooting in northern Switzerland, rocking the normally tranquil nation.

The shooter in the drama that played out on Saturday night (Sunday AEST) in Wuerenlingen, near Zurich, was among the dead.

Head of the local police Michael Leutpold said the incident was linked to a personal conflict.

He said the shooter was a 36-year-old Swiss national but did not reveal his identity. Local media reports described the shooter as a policeman and father of three.

The man did not have a gun licence and did not fire with a police weapon, a police spokesman said.

The shooter first went to a house and killed a 58-year-old man, his 57-year-old wife and a 32-year-old man. The older couple were his parents-in-law and the younger man was his brother-in-law, police said.

The man then went to another house and shot dead a 46-year-old man before turning the gun on himself.

The latest shooting, which follows similar incidents in January and November, sent shock waves through the nation.