A manhunt is under way in Kentucky after a number of people were shot on a highway near the city of London on Saturday.

The incident began at about 17:30 local time (21:30 GMT). Police arrived and found nine vehicles had been shot into near Interstate 75.

Seven people have been injured, five of those seriously, according to the Laurel County Sheriff.

Mayor Randall Weddle of London said not all of these injuries were by gunshot, and that no-one had been killed.

Police have named Joseph A Couch, 32, as a person of interest and say he is considered armed and dangerous.

A black and white picture of Joseph A Couch. He has a slight smile. Only his head is visible in the image.

Officers say shots were fired into vehicles travelling in both directions along the highway.

I–75 was closed for several hours because of the danger to passing cars.

According to local media, shots may have been fired from a wooded area near to the highway, or from an overpass.

“The suspect or suspects have not been apprehended at this time, but they are searching for them,” said Mayor Randall in a video posted to Facebook at about 21:30 local time.

“Where they are currently, that is some rugged terrain and a lot of tree lines,” he said.

Speaking to CNN, Christina DiNoto, who was driving on I-75 with a friend at the time of the shooting said “it was like a rock went through my back window”, hurting her ear.

“We looked at each other and we were like, ‘Was that a gunshot?’ And then we’re like, ‘No, that wasn’t a gunshot.’”

She said it was only an hour and a half later they learnt that it had been a shooting.

Later on Friday, Mount Vernon Fire Department said a section of the highway close to where the shooting happened had reopened, after being closed for about three hours.

A spokesperson for the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington told the BBC’s US partner, CBS News that it had received at least two patients from the incident so far, but there was no word on their conditions.

Trooper Scottie Pennington, a Kentucky State Police spokesperson, urged residents in the area to stay inside.

Members of the public have been warned not to approach the person of interest.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives also confirmed it was involved in the search.

Earlier, Kentucky’s Governor Andy Beshear wrote on social media that law enforcement had “shut the interstate down in both directions” near to where the shooting happened.

He said the area should be avoided, and urged the public to “pray for everyone involved”.

London is a small city of about 8,000 residents near the Daniel Boone National Forest. (BBC)

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