Officials have confirmed that Alec Baldwin shot a pretend pistol on a film set, killing a woman and injuring a male.

According to the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office, the shooting occurred on the set of Rust, a New Mexico-based film.

A spokeswoman for Baldwin, who is producing and starring in the film, said the misfire of a fake gun with blanks was an accident.

Halyna Hutchins, a 42-year-old director of photography, has been identified as the woman who died.

She was flown to the University of New Mexico Hospital by helicopter, but was subsequently pronounced dead.

The film's director, Joel Souza, was hurt and is being treated in a hospital.