Police in southwestern France say one adult and three children are dead after a gunman opened fire at a private Jewish school in the city of Toulouse.

Authorities say the attack at the Ozar Hatorah school also seriously wounded at least one other person. The dead include a teacher who worked at the school and his three-year-old and six-year old sons. School officials say another child between eight and 10 years old was also murdered.

A police spokesman said the shooter escaped on a motorbike.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is on his way to Toulouse accompanied by Education Minister Luc Chatel and the president of the CRIF French Jewish association, Richard Prasquier.

The attack comes days after three soldiers were killed and two wounded in two separate shootings in the same region, also by a man who escaped on a motorbike.

Authorities said forensic analysis showed that the same weapon was used in both earlier shooting incidents.

It is not immediately clear if Monday's attack is related to the two previous shootings.