CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA (REUTERS) - At least one person was wounded in a shooting at a residence hall of a South Carolina university near the resort area of Myrtle Beach on Tuesday, the university said.

Students were urged to remain in their dorm rooms at Coastal Carolina University in Conway but the gunman was believed to have fled, school officials said.

The shooting occurred just before 7.30pm local time at University Place, a residence hall.

"The suspect fled in a vehicle. The campus is still on lockdown, although people in classrooms were allowed to go home. Those in dorms were advised to stay inside," said Ms Mona Prufer, a university spokesman.

She said a shooting victim had been taken to a hospital in Myrtle Beach but had no further details.

More than 9,000 students attend the university, which was founded in 1954 as Coastal Carolina Junior College and became an independent university in 1993.