A severed head has reportedly been discovered after an axe attack at the University of Warsaw in Poland. A woman's head was found on the campus of the University of Warsaw following an attack that also injured a security guard, according to local reports.

Police said both victims were targeted by a 22-year-old Polish man who was detained by authorities. The woman who died was a porter at the university, Polsat News reported. Police officers found the body of a woman and a severed head at the city centre university shortly before 7pm on Wednesday, May 7, with an axe also discovered nearby.

Warsaw police said the 22-year-old attacker was a Polish citizen who entered the campus earlier today and "attacked the people there with an axe".

Prosecutor Piotr Antoni Skiba confirmed to Interia that there were "two injured parties" following "an action by a third party" on the grounds of the university.

A spokesperson for the district prosecutor's office also confirmed that a female administrative employee of the university had been killed at the scene, with a security guard injured and taken to hospital in critical condition.

They told Reuters that the 22-year-old had entered an auditorium at the university before launching the attack.

The gory incident took place near Krakowskie Przedmieście Street, one of the best-known streets in Poland's capital city, which runs through the centre of Warsaw, connecting Nowy Świat with Plac Zamkowy.

Reports on social media suggest that the university remains under lockdown.