Washington, Jul 6 (IANS): At least two persons were killed and eight others injured in a nightclub shooting in the US state of South Carolina on Sunday, authorities said.

The shooting took place just before 2 a.m. (local time) in the city of Greenville when Greenville County Sheriff's deputies saw a large commotion outside the nightclub and called for backup due to active gunfire from inside the building, the local sheriff's spokesperson Jimmy Bolt told media.

The nightclub was hosting a "very, very, very, large crowd" for a concert when the shooting erupted, Sheriff Hobart Lewis said in an interview with a local media outlet, Xinhua reported.

That was a direct violation of Governor Henry McMaster's executive order restricting nightclubs and any type of concert due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The eight injured people are in "various conditions," Lewis added.

The authorities are looking for at least two suspects, and possibly more, in the shooting, according to a report.

The Sheriff's Office said no one is currently in custody and police are actively investigating the shooting.