Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico has been taken to hospital after being shot by an unidentified assailant.

Reuters news agency reported that the Slovak government office said Fico is in a life-threatening condition.

The shooting took place in Handlova in central Slovakia, where Fico was visiting to attend a government meeting on Wednesday.

Britain's BBC quoted local media outlets as reporting that Fico was shot as he greeted crowds after the meeting.

Fico reportedly suffered wounds in his abdomen and was airlifted by helicopter to a hospital.

The alleged suspect has reportedly been detained.

Reuters also released videos and photographs of the scene immediately following the shooting.

Footage shows an ambulance with its sirens sounding and the crime scene being cordoned off.

One video clip shows men who appear to be Fico's security detail bundling him into a car, while another shows men, apparently police officers, detaining an elderly man wearing a shirt and jeans.

Fico assumed power after he led his opposition party to victory in a parliamentary election last September. He has appealed for the suspension of military aid to Ukraine.