Five people have died and several more are injured following a shooting at a mosque in Quebec City, according to the director of the centre.

As many as 40 people may have been inside the Islamic cultural centre of Quebec in the Sainte-Foy neighbourhood when the shooting began during evening prayers at around 8pm on Sunday, according to CBC Canada .

The exact number of fatalities and injuries has yet to be confirmed by police, who arrested two suspects at the scene.

A large security cordon has been set up around the site and a number of ambulances are in attendance.

Local police confirmed the emergency on Twitter at around 1.30pm AEST.

More to come.

Feature image: Twitter