Eight people,have been killed in shootings at spas in the US state of Georgia.

Many of the victims were women of Asian descent.

Police said the shootings took place at two spas in Atlanta and one at a massage parlour in Acworth, a suburb north of the city.

South Korea later confirmed that four of the victims were of Korean descent.

A 21-year-old man had been arrested and is believed to be the suspect in all of the attacks, according to officials.

It comes as hate crimes against Asian-Americans are on the rise, addressed by President Joe Biden when he condemned "vicious hate crimes" against them as they are "attacked, harassed, blamed and scapegoated" for the coronavirus pandemic. 

The attacks began around 5pm local time, when five people were shot at Youngs Asian Massage Parlour in a strip mall near a rural area in Acworth.

Two people died at the scene and three were taken to hospital where two they later died.

Cherokee County Sheriff's Office spokesman Captain Jay Baker said two of the dead were Asian women, along with a white woman and a white man.

Almost an hour later, police were called to reports of a robbery at the Gold Spa in the Buckhead neighbourhood of Atlanta found the bodies of three women.

They then learned of a call reporting shots fired at another spa across the street, Aromatherapy Spa, and found a woman who appeared to have been shot dead.

Atlanta police's Chief Rodney Bryant said all the victims of the two attacks in the city appeared to be Asian.