Brazil nightclub shooting
Facade of the nightclub where 14 people were killed in an early Saturday shootout, in Fortaleza, northeastern Brazil AFP/Getty

At least 14 people including two minors have been killed after gunmen stormed a nightclub in Brazil.

Six more people were injured in the 30 minute shooting in the Forro do Gago club in the northeastern city of Fortaleza in the early hours of Saturday morning.

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Local television channel Globo TV said eyewitnesses reported seeing three cars full of armed men arrive at the Forro do Gago club at 12.30am and begin firing shots at the front of the building.

While officials said a motive for the shooting is not yet known local media have reported that the attack was connected to criminal drug gangs operating in the region.

Two minors are among the victims while a 12-year-old boy is among those taken to hospital, many with serious injuries.

Confirming the deaths the security secretary for Ceara state, Andre Costa, said: "There is no reason for panic and fear. It is a one-off event, as occurs all over the world, with 50 or 60 deaths."

He added that the police could not have done anything to stop the attack.

Last year, there were 5,114 murders in Ceara, a 50% rise from 2016. It was the highest toll since the state started releasing the data in 2013.

In 2015, 11 people mainly teenagers were killed in Ceara's deadliest mass shooting on record BBC news reports.