Two police officers have been injured by a machete-wielding assailant in Belgium. The incident took place in the city of Charleroi and was reported by the Charleroi Police on Twitter at 3.57pm London time.

Both of the wounded police officers are believed to be women, with one believed to be seriously injured. However, neither of them are in a life-threatening condition.

The attacker was shot and killed and the area has been sealed off. The police's comment on Twitter noted that the attacker was heard screaming "Allahu Akbar" ("God is Great" in Arabic) during the assault outside the city's main police station.

Belgium police
Two Belgium police officers were injured during the attack. iStock

In a statement on Twitter, the Prime Minister Charles Michel said: "My thoughts are with the victims, their loved ones, and the police. We are following the situation closely."

A witness has told TRL that one of the officers suffered wounds to the face and was taken to hospital. A third officer at the scene shot the attacker, who later died in hospital.

Interior Minister Jan Jambon called the attack a "despicable act" and lent his support to the wounded police officers, their families and colleagues. Emergency services have cordoned off the area around Boulevard Pierre Mainz, near the police station.

Charleroi was used as a base by some of the Islamic militants involved in the Paris attacks in November 2015 and the Brussels last March.