Women's World Cup to kick off despite shooting in New Zealand

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - The opening game of the Fifa Women's World Cup will take place as planned in New Zealand on Thursday despite a shooting in Auckland in which three people were killed, reported German news agency (dpa).

At least three people died after a gunman opened fire at a construction site in Auckland on Thursday at around 7.20am (1920 GMT Wednesday). The site is near the fan base of the Women's World Cup, due to kick off later on Thursday.

Sport Minister Grant Robertson said the tournament would go on and Thursday's game between New Zealand and Norway would be played.

Police were already "embedded" within the Fifa organisational structure for security purposes, he said.

A number of teams were staying within the immediate area and all were "safe and sound", Robertson said.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said the assessment from officials was that there was no national security risk.

"Clearly with the Fifa World Cup kicking off this evening there are a lot of eyes on Auckland," he said.

"Aucklanders and those watching around the world can be assured the police have neutralised the threat and they are not seeking anyone else in relation to the incident."

Eden Park chief executive Nick Saunter said the venue had been working with all relevant agencies regarding the incident.

"Due to the global nature of this event, please expect an increased security presence within the precinct and across the venue."

New Zealand Football said in a statement it was shocked by the incident.

"We can confirm that all of the Football Ferns team and staff are safe but we will not be able to comment further while details are still emerging."

Norway's team, which is staying within 400 m of the incident, were woken by a police helicopter, captain Maren Mjelde said.

"At first, we didn't know what was going on, but eventually there were updates on TV and the local media," Mjelde said.

"We felt safe the whole time. Fifa has a good security system at the hotel, and we have our own security officer in the squad. Everyone seems calm and we are preparing as normal for the game tonight. Then we may have to adapt if there are any instructions from the authorities."

The US team confirmed via Twitter that all its players and staff were accounted for and safe.

"Our security team is in communication with local authorities and we are proceeding with our daily schedule." - BERNAMA-dpa