KUCHING (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK, AFP) - Four Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) personnel were killed in a shooting incident at their camp in Kota Samarahan on Friday (Aug 13) morning.

Sarawak police commissioner Comm Datuk Aidi Ismail said the shooting happened at the guardhouse of the RMAF camp.

"Initial investigations found that the incident involved four RMAF personnel on duty at the guardhouse," he said in a statement, adding that investigations were ongoing.

The serviceman, who was supposed to be undergoing a coronavirus quarantine, snatched the firearms from a guard post, according to local media reports.

When a colleague tried to calm him down, he reportedly asked "do you want to live or die" before shooting him in the stomach and opening fire on the other victims.

Two men died at the scene while the third managed to drive to a health clinic after being shot, but succumbed to his injuries.

After shooting his colleagues, the serviceman turned the gun on himself. Authorities are investigating his motives, which remain unclear.

All the personnel were on duty at the time of the incident.

RMAF also confirmed the incident in a statement, saying that it occurred at about 7.15am Friday.

It urged the public not to speculate on the shooting but to let the police complete their investigations.

"We have handed over the case to the police for investigation.

"We will also set up an investigation board to identify the cause of the incident," RMAF said.