A suicide bomber has blown himself up during prayers at mosque in the capital of Kuwait, killing at least 27 people, in an unprecedented attack claimed by the Islamic State group.

Another 200 people are reported to have been injured.

IS claimed what was the first-ever bombing of a Shiite mosque in Kuwait and the first terror attack in the Gulf state since January 2006.

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The IS-affiliated group in Saudi Arabia, calling itself Najd Province, said militant Abu Suleiman al-Muwahhid carried out the attack on the mosque, which it claimed was spreading Shiite teachings among Sunni Muslims.

IS, a radical Sunni Muslim group, considers Shiites to be heretics.

Najd Province claimed similar bombings at Shiite mosques in Saudi Arabia in recent weeks.

The blast hit Al-Imam al-Sadeq mosque in Kuwait City, the interior ministry said in a brief statement without providing details.

The official KUNA news agency confirmed that there were “dead and wounded,” but also did not provide details.

A witness told AFP “dozens were killed and wounded,” and pictures circulating on social media showed several bloodied bodies in the mosque amid debris.

A security official said “it is a suicide bombing.”

Witnesses gave a similar account, saying a suicide bomber entered the mosque during the weekly noon prayers.

Kuwait’s emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, immediately visited the site, and footage on state-run Kuwait Television showed him visibly moved by the scenes of carnage.

The Kuwaiti cabinet went into an emergency meeting to discuss the incident, as the interior ministry raised the level of alert and mobilised all security forces.

A number of hospitals in the oil-rich emirate declared states of emergency to deal with the wounded, while the central blood bank appealed for blood donations.