Nine killed in South Carolina church shooting

Nine people have died in a shooting at a historic African-American church in Charleston in the US state of South Carolina, officials say.

A meeting was going on at the time of the shooting at about 9:00pm local time on Wednesday at the church.

City police chief Gregory Mullen said eight of the victims were killed inside the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church on Thursday evening, while another person died shortly afterwards.

"I do believe it was a hate crime," Mullen said.

The church's pastor, state Senator Clementa Pinckney, was among those killed.

Police are now searching for a white male suspect in his 20s.