An Army sergeant opened fire at Fort Stewart on Wednesday, shooting five soldiers and prompting a brief lockdown at one the country's largest Army bases, officials said. Few details were immediately available about what led to the gunfire, but the suspect is an Army sergeant, according to a US official. The official was not authorised to publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

This latest act of violence on a US military installation ' sites that are supposed to be among the most secure in the country ' again raised concerns about safety and security within the armed forces' own walls. The Army said it's investigating the shooting. There were still many unanswered questions, including the condition of the soldiers, the scope of their injuries, the name of the shooter as well as any possible motive.

The injured were treated and then moved to Winn Army Community Hospital, base officials said in a Facebook post, adding there's no threat to the community. Some of the wounded were also taken to Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, said spokesperson Bryna Gordon. The hospital is the top-level trauma centre for coastal Georgia. Gordon said she didn't know how many people were being taken to the hospital or what their conditions are.