At least nine people are dead and 20 injured after a stampede at a large rock concert in Guatemala, emergency services say.

The incident occurred in the western city of Quetzaltenango on Thursday evening, at an event celebrating the small Central American country's Independence Day.

Two 12-year-old children were among the dead, according to Maria del Carmen Sajquim, spokesperson for Guatemala's Western Regional Hospital.

The injured people were transferred to the hospital and were believed to have suffered fractures, local firefighters said earlier on Twitter.

Witnesses at the scene said the venue for the event only had two exit doors.

First aid workers were helping injured people and ambulances were at the scene, images from Guatemala's Red Cross showed on Twitter.

The dead have not yet been named by authorities, Guatemalan newspaper Prensa Libre said.

Reuters